Harry Potter: It Begins
by WishUponAStar1015
Summary: Harry Potter with a twist! What if there were an added character? What if it was 'The Children Who Lived? What if her father was someone unimaginable? What if she lived with the Dursleys? What if she, too, had a secret? What if they were soul mates?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I only own my characters. **

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**Harry Potter: It Begins**

**Prologue**

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In a world of magic, there are always strange things happening.

Wait, did I say something wrong? Magic? You are looking at me weirdly because I mentioned magic? Why, my dear people! Magic is in everything! Magic lives in everyone and anything you can imagine! It is simply a part of being, well, alive.

Magic is in the plants around you, animals, simple objects, and it thrives in our very cells. Yes, humans harbor magic – even if they cannot have access to it. It isn't because they're stupid; it is just because they don't have enough of it. Every human has the smallest amount of magic in them. It is just up to them to believe.

Now, today was a sad day, indeed. It was a birthday and, even though birthdays were meant to be a joyous occasion, this birthday was a sad one. It wasn't even an ordinary birthday. Why was it sad? Because today was the day that people died. Not just one or two, but dozens of people died by one man's hand.

And it was also on this day that a home was destroyed. It was literally blown apart from the inside out by one small and special person. Nothing could be heard except for the crying wails of two children. They were small infants, only one year of age – actually one of them was not a year yet. Her birthday was tomorrow. Contrary to popular belief, many believed that they would become the most important children of their time.

Do you remember what I said about magic? Well, these two children come from magical families. The male little boy was of a mainly Pureblood – a family where everyone is magical – family. The little baby girl was of a different story. Yes, magic is a powerful force and it lies deep within the Earth. This source is called the Life Stream and it powers everything and everyone. It helps plants to live when it seems hopeless and it purifies water that has been contaminated. The Life Stream is so powerful that it sometimes has too much magic. The excess magic forms a living, breathing, human being – some might even call them golems yet they weren't made of clay (most golems are made from some sort of earthy material) – and were made of cells, blood, and tissue just like the rest of us.

There is a spiritual force that comes from the Life Spring. It often takes the form of a young man with long white hair, a strange symbol on his forehead, and golden eyes. Thus, all of his children have similar features. All of his children have the same color hair, but different color eyes.

The baby girl was given to a magical family, as were all the others who were born from the Life Spring that year. There were several and they were scattered amongst the magical families around the world. Although she had no true parents, she had a family and that was all that mattered.

The young male had a lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead. It stung mighty fierce so that was the reason why he was crying. The girl was crying because her friend was crying. The two of them were mighty close to one another. Neither of the two babies was happy about their current situation. The house around them was completely trashed. Rubble was scattered everywhere and people were screaming outside.

Although the house was swarmed, a cloaked figure managed to slip into the house via a back window. The glass in the window was shattered as was most of the glass from the other windows. The woman ascended the stairs and gasped as she saw a woman with red hair and green eyes crumpled on the floor. The woman was dead.

After swallowing her cry and letting a few tears roll down her cheeks, she rushed towards the two children, looking down at the two babies. Her face was covered in shadows from her hood, but a few strands of pure white hair fell across her forehead. The little girl stopped her crying and looked up at the stranger. Her sparkling grey eyes were curious – it was as if she were questioning the figure standing over her. The little boy beside her scowled at the woman and began to cry even harder.

"My little one's…it's alright…don't cry, now." The cloaked figure cooed, first picking up the boy. She rocked him until he was almost asleep. Once the figure was sure that the boy wouldn't start crying again, she put him down and turned her attention to the girl. Before she could do anything, a crash from outside alerted her that someone was trying to enter the house. She needed to leave before someone caught her – she wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be somewhere else and she would get into a lot of trouble if she was found, but she just couldn't leave the girl.

"My darling boy…I can't stay long. I must take your friend for a short while." The cloaked figure said apologetically. She kissed the boy's head before she turned back to the girl, picking her up and cradling her in her arms.

"As for you, little one, I bestow upon you the gift of the Life Stream. You are an Animalia and, as such, your power will help you greatly…as mine did." the figure said, kissing the forehead of the female child. Her scar glowed for a few seconds before the baby's eyes flashed silver before settling back into the normal grey. Another crash sounded from downstairs and the woman was forced to abandon the child in the crib. He screamed and cried in rage anew, wanting the small female child near him once again.

The cloaked woman slipped to the window of the room and gently hopped out of it, crouching next to a great black panther once she landed. It was the second story, after all, and she was used to doing things like that. The woman made sure the baby was alright, cooing at her once she saw that the baby was going to start crying.

"Now, now, darling. You are one of us, one of the Animalia. I will teach you all you need to know after you learn your secret." she whispered into the small girl's hair. After that, the three of them were gone, blending into the blackness of the night.

As soon as she was gone, the door of the bedroom crashed open. Three men tumbled inside. Two were best friends while the third loathed the other two, but he tolerated them because of the woman who was on the floor.

The first man lying underneath the other two was dark haired. It was scraggly and hung around his shoulders. The second had dark hair as well, but his hair looked like it was swathed in grease despite having none in it. The third and final man had sandy colored hair, but he looked older than he really was because of the small streaks of grey.

"Merlin!" the male with the greasy-looking hair exclaimed as he uncharacteristically scrambled to her fallen form. He gathered the woman into his arms and checked her pulse, letting out a small cry when he saw that she had none. He set her back down, intent on checking on the small baby girl in the crib. When he discovered that she was gone, his despair doubled.

"Harry!" the sandy haired male exclaimed, pushing past the greasy haired one to pick up the male baby. He checked his body for wounds, but was relieved when the only one he could find was the small scar on his forehead.

"Where is Hikosu?" the scraggly haired man questioned, "Don't tell me she's dead as well?" when he saw how grim the greasy haired man's expression was. His eyes couldn't help but start to water. Everything had gone terribly. His goddaughter was missing. His best friend was gone and there was a massive amount of blood downstairs so that means he might be dead. Said friend's wife was lying dead on the floor in front of him.

Things were not going well today at all.

"Sirius Black!" the sandy haired male said, looking at the man with a hard expression, "You can't go jumping to conclusions when you know very well that she might be gone for a reason!"

"Or she might have been kidnapped, Remus." He spat back, unintentionally making the greasy haired man wince. "You know what the Dark Lord is like. He is unforgiving." He continued in a depressed sigh.

"I know all too well…but if he did, indeed, kidnap my daughter…why did he leave Harry alive?" the greasy haired man murmured almost absently. He and Remus had tried to calm the boy down.

"Look, he won't calm without Hikosu." Remus indicated while he rubbed Harry's back.

"And where is she?" Sirius exclaimed while glaring at the other two. He didn't want to admit it, but he had grown fond of his enemy's daughter. Surprisingly, now that the two had graduated, he found himself growing out of his awful ways. Of course, he was still a prankster, but he had warmed up to the man in front of him. He had to, with the amount of play dates Lily set up for Harry and Hikosu.

"Now, Sirius, you're scaring the child." The greasy haired male murmured, looking around the room. He could find nothing except for the dead body of Lily Potter, his dead love. Yes, it was true that he had been in love with Lily – the wife of his school arch nemesis, but like Sirius he found himself growing out of the hate he felt for James. This was, unfortunately, long after he had become a Death Eater.

"Shove off, Severus." He retorted angrily as he carried Harry down the stairs. The sandy haired man, also known as Remus Lupin, followed him down the stairs as the one known as Severus stayed behind in the room. He had adopted the small child when a white haired man, he assumed that the white haired man was her biological father at the time, showed up on his doorstep. It wasn't until later that Dumbledore explained everything to him. Now, it just felt…like he was empty. It had been less than a year, but he became…dare he say it? Severus Snape became softer.

Although he had always hated the Potters, Harry's family, and the Blacks…not to mention the Lupin werewolf…he had always loved Lily. When Lily found out he was taking care of a child she had demanded to see the delightful girl.

Their children met…and the rest was history. Harry refused to do anything without little Hikosu by his side. It was like the two of them were meant to meet. They were the best of friends…but then things like this had to happen…

Severus bent down as he saw something shiny on the ground. He bent down and realized that it was half of a locket he had gotten her. Her little picture was inside it. The other half she must still be wearing. The other half of the necklace had a picture of him in it.

The dark haired male's eyes watered up as he grasped the half of the locket in his fist. He took a shuddering breath as people began showing up outside.

"I swear to you, my little daughter…we will meet again."


	2. The Children Who Lived

**Disclaimer: Almost everything in this chapter belongs to JK Rowling. I did say that it would be exactly like Harry Potter, but with a twist. Now, Hikosu, Arista, and Cael belong to me. **

**Don't worry - the future chapters might sound the same (like the book with a few tweaks) but my original plotline will start to take effect and it won't sound so much the same anymore.**

**Thanks to:**

**StarSteller - I'm glad you like my writing style, but, as I said before, I tried to make sure my character wasn't much of a mary-sue. She has a fatal flaw, but she's not whiny or anything like that. **

**Raine44354 - I know, I thought of that right after I put it in there XD Snape'll have a fit when he realizes it is her at Hogwarts.**

**00cats10 - Well, here is your 'more'! =D**

**... - Yeah, not necessarily. Have you read Twilight? The Imprinting is sort of like what's going on here, except with magic and bonding (transformers) and stuff like that.**

**Once again, I don't own Harry Potter!**

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**Chapter One**

**The Children Who Lived**

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In a world of magical people, there were the two dullest people you would ever meet. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive – which was in England, by the way – were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Yes, they were as normal as can be…which was saying something. They barely had a drop of magic in any part of their body, but it always lay dormant because Mr. and Mrs. Dursley rejected anything to do with magic.

Just to let you fine people know…they were, and still are, snooty people. Rude and arrogant – they were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious. They just didn't hold with that kind of…nonsense, they would call it. It was complete and utter nonsense. But, perhaps it was just that one small detail that drew the attention of strange people. Perhaps it was _because_ they were normal; it was the last place one would think that something abnormal would happen there.

This is just a thought, mind you. Don't mind me, we all have thoughts now and again.

Of course, the Dursleys rejected this kind of thinking. Actually, they didn't possess this kind of thinking at all. Because of this, they didn't realize that something strange and abnormal was just around the corner. Something magical was about to happen, and the Dursleys would definitely be surprised.

Mr. Dursley, the oaf that he was, was the director of a firm called Grunnings. It was a company that made drills of all things. Who, boy, making drills was _the best_ job in the world! Whoa, not the deep, deep sarcasm people. Really, making drills? Seriously, I would have a better job.

Now, Mr. Dursley…he was kind of a pig. No, really. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mr. Dursley would definitely remind anyone of a walrus. He even made the same kind of noise a walrus would do when he was flustered. He also turned an interesting shade of purple – it wasn't lavender or violet. Kind of a blue-purple color.

Opposite of Mr. Dursley, Mrs. Dursley was thin and blond. Instead of a little neck, she had nearly twice the normal amount. It came in handy when she spent so much time craning over garden fences and spying on the neighbors. Now, she was a woman who reminded people of a horse. They weren't being mean – her face really looked like a horse's face. She even had the large front teeth to go with it! It was too bad that she was named after a flower when she so resembled a horse. If she had been named after a horse, it would have been much more amusing.

The Dursleys weren't alone in their small little house. They had a son named Dudley – really, who comes up with these names? – and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. Mrs. Dursley was also hoping to have a girl someday, but she became barren after her difficult pregnancy. She wouldn't be able to have any more children. Petunia was so disappointed, but her husband promised her that they would one day adopt a girl.

The Dursleys had everything they could ever want at the time…but they also had a secret. This secret was magical, and it was their greatest fear that somebody would discover it. Their secret wasn't exactly a bad secret – like most people would think when it came to secrets – but it was quite embarrassing to their perfect and non-magical family.

In fact, they didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about…dun, dun, dun. The Potters. Yes, their secret was the fact that they were hiding a family. A _magical_ family. Mrs. Potter was Petunia's sister. They hadn't met for several years, though. In fact, Petunia pretended she didn't have a sister. This was harsh, yes, but she thought that her sister, Lily, was a good-for-nothing – just like her husband, James – and they were as unDursleyish as they could be. It was like they were totally ignored and wiped off the face of the planet because they weren't _perfect – _and it was because of the fact that they practiced _magic._

Yup. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street via magical transportation. Anyway, the Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but that they had never seen him. And he had a little friend that he played with, a little magical girl. She wasn't even _human_. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with children like that. The Potters would probably bring that monstrosity of a girl along. They were children that would grow up inheriting _magic_.

Now, on this fine day, a dull and grey Tuesday, our story starts. Or was it a Wednesday…or a Monday? Now, it was a Tuesday. Yeah, a Tuesday. On with the story! There was nothing about the cloudy sky outside on that gloomy day that would suggest that something strange would happen. In fact, the weather was misleading. The oh so frowned upon strange and mysterious things were about to happen all over the country.

Mr. Dursley hummed, quite badly might I add, as he picked out his most boring tie for work – grey – and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. It was a surprising fit as he was very overweight.

None of the three _normal_ humans noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window or a large white wolf-like dog slink underneath the window's flower boxes. Other animals were acting up – it was almost if they were rejoicing for some reason.

At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked his wife on the cheek – leaving behind a wet mark – and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye, but missed because the fat little boy was now having a temper tantrum. Petunia let him ride it out and he continued to throw cereal at the walls. It is a surprising fact that Dudley was eating cereal, too. Y'know, many would have thought he'd still be on baby food…not that I'm saying he's stupid…ok yea, I'm saying that he's an idiot. Apparently, the pig's parents didn't care that much.

"Little Tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left his house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive…thank God for that.

It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar – a cat reading a map. For a second Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen – then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a beautiful tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. Man, was he going crazy or what? It wasn't possible for a cat to have a map. It was even more impossible for a cat to be reading anything. They were stupid creatures, right? Cats weren't able to do anything remotely smart.

What in the bloody hell could he have been thinking of? Perhaps he needed to get more sleep at night. Mr. Dursley shook his head, positive that it must have been a trick of the light or he had just been imagining things. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. Maybe Mr. Dursley was going insane? Perhaps that was it…

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive – no, _looking_ at the sign that said Privet Drive. It was impossible. Cats couldn't read maps or signs, but then why was that much larger cat joining it? It looked…blimey; it looked like a lion cub! The beefy man shook his head again, but when he looked back only the tabby cat was there. Mr. Dursley gave himself a shake and put the cats out of his mind. As he drove towards town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks…and the odd person dressed in a strange style of tunic and pants with a sash around the tunic. The ones wearing the tunics all had white hair. It looked natural, but Mr. Dursley thought they were all part of some sort of cult. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes – the getups you saw on young people! The ones in tunics seemed to be foreign…but they could at least dress in clothing appropriate for the country they were visiting!

He supposed that this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. It was then that Mr. Dursley realized that the ones with white hair all had some sort of mark on places on their bodies. Some had them on their foreheads, on their cheeks, their throat, their hands, ect. They also had different color eyes.

Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all. Why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak! The nerve of him! And that one there! He looked to be quite ancient, but he was wearing some sort of undershirt, tunic, and pants with a dark sash around the tunic like a belt! He should know better!

But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt – these people were obviously collecting for something…yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.

Once he got to his incredibly mundane job, Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office…on the ninth floor. Man, it can't even be an even number. If he hadn't sat with his back towards the window, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. The obese man didn't see the owls – yes owls – swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did. There were also eagles, and some sort of strange looking lizards with wings. Although, those were quite rare, indeed.

Oh, how they pointed and gazed open mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime…but none of them ever noticed the other animals that were in a frenzy.

Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people, how rude of him, and made several important phone calls…and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks, and the foreigners, until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed, grumbling to himself as he went. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. The foreigners even looked like they had animal markings! A few had slits in their pupils or a couple even had fangs! The bunch he passed were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. It wasn't like he was trying to listen, really!

"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"

"-yes, their son, Harry –"

"Don't forget about Severus Snape's daughter –"

"Oh, yes…little Hikosu, right?"

"I heard she was taken –"

"Kidnapped –"

"Maybe Killed…"

"Poor little Harry –"

Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. It was _that__name_. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He didn't want to associate with the likes of _them_, after all.

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. In that order. He put the receiver back down and stroked the stolen walrus hair on his face, thinking…no, he was being stupid. As always.

Potter wasn't such an unusual name – especially if you potted things! – and he was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Harry was a common name. He had no idea who this Severus Snape person was, but Hikosu was a familiar name as well. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew _was_ called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. Or Bartholomew. There was no point in worrying his wife; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her – if _he'd_ had a sister like that…but all the same, those people in cloaks and the foreigners…they were just strange.

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. He was in a bad mood so, of course, he was rude to the stranger.

"Sorry," he grunted, being the big and beefy man that he was, as the tiny old man stumble and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. His 'freak radar' went into overdrive while the man didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary! His face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passerby stare.

"Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Let us rejoice for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day!"

And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. Just like that. And he was gone…and out of sight…what a weird little man.

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a 'Muggle'…whatever that was – odd word by the way. He was rattled. He was startled. He was downright annoyed. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping that he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. It was for the 'little people'. It was for those less fortunate than he was. After all, he was a man who was well off.

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw – and it didn't improve his mood – was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall…and what was worse…there was a great bird sitting next to it. It was enormous! It looked like some sort of eagle or something. He was sure that the tabby was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. The cat was now stalking him!

"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly, a bead of sweat dripping down his massive face. Neither the cat nor the great bird paid him little attention. The cat just gave him a stern look and the bird ignored him altogether. Was this normal animal behavior? Mr. Dursley had to wonder whether or not the animals had rabies or something along those lines. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

Mrs. Dursley, despite being the abnormally nosey person that she was, had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley, the fat lard-boy, had learned a new word ("Won't!" – brilliant isn't he?). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally, but the events of the day were hard on him. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping patterns. The owls, however, are not only the odd animals acting unusual today. There have been sightings of hawks, eagles, wolves, foxes, and the odd wild cat around town today. Although they didn't approach any people, authorities are still weary." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. He loved doing reports on the odd thing like this.

"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls and sightings of the odd animal tonight, Jim?" the newscaster asked, still grinning. He thought everything was rather funny.

"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday they've had a downpour of shooting stars and flower petals of every kind! Even flowers that aren't native to England – cherry blossoms, lily and lotus petals, everything! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early – it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." The weatherman continued with a chuckle.

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars and raining flower petals all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks and those freaky foreigners all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…and someone named Severus Snape and his daughter, Hikosu…weird things were happening, and Mr. Dursley didn't like it at all.

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good…tea couldn't calm his frazzled nerves. He'd have to say something – anything – to her. He cleared his throat nervously. This would go one of two ways. Either she would take the mentioning of _them_ in good stride…or she would bite his head off.

"Er – Petunia, dear – you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you? Or one of her beastly friends?" he questioned nervously.

As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. She was known as the One-Who-Did-Not-Exist, after all. It was like Petunia never met a little sister – she was an only child and she liked to keep it that way.

"No," she replied sharply with a glare. "Why?"

"Funny stuff on the news…shooting stars and raining flower petals…hah." Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls in daylight…and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today. People in robes…and these funny little foreign outfits."

"_So?_" the blond woman snapped.

"Well, I just thought…maybe…perhaps…it was something to do with…you know…_her_ crowd."

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. You could tell that she was getting annoyed by the conversation. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter' or that of the other odd family name. 'Snape' was it? He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could,

"Their son…he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly as if she didn't want to think about it. It was true – she wanted nothing to do with that other family.

"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"

"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."

"And he had a little friend that was a girl? The one he was 'betrothed' to?"

"Yes. Good idea if you ask me. He won't marry one of the normal people then. I believe her name was…what was it?"

"Hikosu?"

"Yes, that was it. It was actually a pretty name…for one of **them**." she spat.

"Oh, yes." Said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there, but this time there was a great white wolf sitting next to it. They were staring down Privet Drive as though they were waiting for something.

Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters and that other family? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of – well, he didn't think he could bear it.

The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly, but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters _were_ involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on – he yawned and turned over – it couldn't affect _them_…

How very wrong he was.

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall and the wolf beside her were showing no signs of sleepiness. They were sitting as still as statues with their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. The two of them didn't even quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, or when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight when the two of the animals moved at all.

A man appeared suddenly on the corner the cat and wolf had been watching, appearing so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. The wolf bowed its head and growled in greeting.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging from the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name…was Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat and wolf, which were still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat and wolf seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again – the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were four tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat and the wolf watching him.

If anyone looked out their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had around her eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor. I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"That is true, Milady. To blend in, you must learn the ways of the animals." A new, wise voice cut in. The two magic users turned in surprise as the wolf previously sitting next to the wall shifted into a humanoid. The only things that suggested he wasn't fully human were that he had unnaturally bright eyes, fangs, and white wolf ears. He also had a bushy wolf tail that was wagging back and forth. His hair was silvery-grey – almost like Dumbledore's - and reached the middle of his back, and he wore the clothing of those 'foreigners' that Mr. Dursley had seen in town.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but I am one of Lady Hikosu's Guides. Each Animalia has at least one. I am only able to stay in this form for a short amount of time, but I came deliver a message." The Guide said, sitting down upon the wall that the female Professor was previously sitting upon. Both the female Professor and Dumbledore nodded their heads to show that they were listening.

"My Lady shall arrive soon. She shall live here, with the Dursleys, and at the age of thirteen she shall start to reach her maturity, not unlike this 'puberty' that regular humans go through. She will imprint on her soul mate. All Animalia do and their soul mates imprint back exactly one year later. The love of an Animalia is hard to come by, but they usually imprint on the male friend they are closest to." He said, explaining the beginning of his message.

"Lady Hikosu, however, is a special case. Young Harry seems to be close to her already, even at his young age. I would like to have her live with her appointed Guardian, the one chosen by the Life Stream…" he trailed off, obviously trying to think of the name of her Guardian. He had been following them, this was true, but it was usually from far away.

"Severus Snape." Dumbledore supplied, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Thank you, Milord. Severus Snape is, indeed, Lady Hikosu's chosen guardian. He is now as good as her father…however, due to a few unseen circumstances – the murder of Harry's mother – we feel it is best to let her live here. Although it is usual for two children of this age to form a sibling like relationship, the two of them will form a bond stronger than anything. Nothing shall come between them and if Hikosu imprints on Harry they will…how should I say this…" the Guide continued to explain.

"The two of them will fall in love?" Professor McGonagall supplied, smiling softly with tears welling in her eyes. Harry and Hikosu deserved this kind of happiness.

"Exactly. I must request that at age thirteen, the summer before the two of them start year three at their school, they could live with Severus Snape." The Guide requested, eyes flashing with a knowing gleam. He knew that the Dursleys would not be a good place for them to grow into adults.

"Your request shall be granted. All I wanted was for Harry and, by extension, Hikosu to grow up without the fame tainting their minds." The wizened old male agreed, nodding his head. Without a word the Guide smiled, bowing low as he backed up.

"Before I phase back… I would like for all of this information to remain secret from everyone at the moment. Severus will find his daughter at the school, but tell him that she is here just in case he wishes to see her at any time. She is to remain here – the Earthen Magic has spoken. Oh…and my name is Cael." The animal guardian whispered just seconds before he phased back into his white wolf form once again. He shook his head, lying down at Dumbledore's feet.

"Thank you for the information, Cael. Now, my dear Professor, was my hearing correct? Did you say that you were here all day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed at least a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right." She said impatiently.

"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no – even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window.

"I heard it. Flock of owls…shooting stars…raining flower petals…well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. And raining flower petals! Probably Amos Diggory…he was always a bit on the girlish side…or the work of the Life Stream." She scoffed in disdain.

"You can't blame them." said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

"I know that." Said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors. And the Animalia, with their Guides, are roaming in the city as well! I thought that since there were very few of them left they would have enough sense to be careful!" she threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on.

"A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really _has_ gone, Dumbledore?"

"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

"A _what_?"

"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

"No, thank you." Said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who _has_ gone –"

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense – for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: _Voldemort_." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice.

"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."

"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admitting. She looked ready to tear her hair out, but she refrained from doing so.

"But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only You-Know- oh, all right, _**Voldemort**_, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only because you're too – well – _noble_ to use them."

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the _rumors_ that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day next to a strange white wolf. Neither as a cat nor a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

"What they're _saying_," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily Potter is – is – that she's – _dead_. And that James Potter, not to mention little Hikosu, is missing!"

"James Potter is not dead at least. He is missing. His body was not found when I arrived, Father." The melodious voice of a woman answered coming from the shadows. She stepped forward while a great panther followed her every movement. The panther started purring, however, when she spotted Cael resting next to the wall.

"Ah! My dear Arista! I was worried about the two of you. Is little Hikosu alright?" Dumbledore asked as the woman stepped forward with the bundle in her arms. The woman was younger than Professor McGonagall and had shoulder length wavy silvery white hair and ice blue eyes. She was wearing black robes and a dark purple cloak. A gentle smile was on her lips and she had a distinct marking on the center of her left cheek. It was of a circle with a plus through it. By being marked with that distinct figure it meant that a person was of the Animalia. But, being gifted by being an Animalia there were also its drawbacks. The woman named Arista couldn't see out of her left eye unless she was using her core magic. Each Animalia was different. Most regained the use of their taken sense – or ability – when they started to mature, but she had never regained the use of her eye. Arista just lived with it.

"I am fine and so is little Hikosu. I had to take her to get her marking." She explained. Professor McGonagall was clueless; she had no idea who this woman was or the child she was carrying in her arms.

"And?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling in excitement.

"Say hello to the magical world's newest Animalia." Arista beamed, pulling back the piece of blanket that was covering the child's face. Professor McGonagall let out a gasp as she realized that the child was little Hikosu. She looked no different than she did before except for the fact that she bore the same unique mark on the hollow of her throat.

"Hikosu may be alright, but I'm afraid to say that Lily is dead, Professor McGonagall. We have an inkling on where James might be, but the Animalia will find him." Arista explained sadly.

"Lily…I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it…Oh, Albus…" Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder.

"I know…I know…" he said heavily.

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying that Voldemort tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry and Hikosu. But – he couldn't kill them. He couldn't kill those two children. Children! No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill the children, Voldemort's power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone." She said, looking down at the slumbering baby girl.

Dumbledore nodded glumly, saddened by the events that had transpired.

"It's – it's _true_?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done…all the people he's killed…he couldn't kill two children? It's just astounding…of all the things to stop him…but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive? Hikosu has thanks to her Animalia powers…but Harry…"

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know." Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me _why_ you're here of all places?"

"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now aside from his closest friend. Like Cael said: the two children will reside here until either they go to Hogwarts or they may remain here until they wish to leave. Then, they will be residing with Professor Snape, who is Hikosu's chosen guardian." He said with a smile towards little Hikosu.

"You don't mean – you _can't_ mean the people who live _here_?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet – she had sat down on the wall from the shock of seeing Hikosu – and pointing at number four.

"Dumbledore – you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter and Hikosu Snape come and live here!"

"Like I told Cael, it's the best place for him." Said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to them when they're older. I've written them a letter.

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand them! They'll be famous – a legend – I would be surprised if today was known as 'Harry and Hikosu' Day in the future – there will be books written about them – every child in our world will know their names!"

"Exactly." Said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any child's head. Famous before they can walk and talk! Famous for something they won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off they'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said "Yes – yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore? Hikosu is here, but Harry isn't." she eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing him."

"You think it – _wise_ – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He tends to – what was that?"

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be swallowed, and so _wild_ – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir." Said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke.

"Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol. Seemed a bit cranky come ta think o' it. Where's the other little 'un?"

"Over here, Hagrid." Arista murmured, walking over so that the two children were sleeping side by side. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.

"Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall, looking back and forth between the two sleeping babies.

"Yes." Said Dumbledore. "They'll have those marks forever." He said, referring to the scar and Hikosu's mark on her throat.

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well – give him here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursley's house.

"Could I – could I say goodbye to them, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over the two, giving them each what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"

"S-s-sorry." Sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it – Lily dead an' James missin' – an' poor little Harry and Hikosu off ter live with Muggles –"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found." Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore and Arista stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid the children gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the tree of them stood and looked at the little bundles and Arista as she bent over them.

"Be safe, you two." She whispered, smiling down at them. Harry somehow unconsciously moved closer to Hikosu in his sleep, gripping her little hand in his. Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'nigt Professor McGonagall – Professor Dumbledore, sir – Ma'am." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall." Said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundles of blankets on the step of number four.

"Good luck, Harry…Hikosu." He murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over, facing his soul mate without waking up. One small hand was still closed around hers. A necklace was gently wrapped around her neck, the broken half of the locket holding a picture of a man. Cael concentrated, becoming so that he looked like a normal dog. He was still a wolf, but he held a sort of glamour that Muggles couldn't see through. It was like he was some sort of wolf hound.

The two children slept on, not knowing that they were special, not knowing they were famous, not knowing that they would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…they couldn't know that at his very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices:

"To Harry Potter and Hikosu Snape – the children who lived!"


	3. Outing to the Zoo

**Disclaimer: Anything recognizable goes to JK Rowling - I do, however, own Hikosu, Cael (the white wolf), and Arista.**

**Thanks to:**

**Elizabeth Lullaby - I thought about it and really didn't realize that when I was making OCs for my fanfictions. I kinda used a name generator, but I changed it in the first chapter so that she has to pick her own name when she reaches the Animalia version of 'courting age'.**

**Raine44354 - lol! Really? I don't have internet on my phone so I wouldnt know. Sorry =D Glad you like it, though.**

**TwilightEclps - I try to think of things that are different from the norm. Glad you like it!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Outing to the Zoo**

* * *

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew and his soul mate on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursley's front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.

Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets, even pink mind you! – but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother…the poor mama's boy. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.

There were a few scattered pictures of a little girl, though. Remember how I told you that Mrs. Dursley wanted a baby girl, but could no longer have children of her own? Yes, that's right. Mrs. Dursley sort of…adopted Hikosu as her own…although she made the dear change her name. In private they still called her Hikosu, but in public they called her this horrid name. Dorothea. That's what they renamed her.

Poor Hikosu originally had a deep violet head of pin straight hair that fell to her bum – Mr. Dursley wouldn't spend the money for her to get a decent haircut so Mrs. Dursley was forced to trim as little as possible so she wouldn't look ratty. Her beautiful hair was dyed a dull brown color. It was so she wouldn't stand out. She was also forced to wear high collared shirts or thick ribbons around her neck to cover up the mark on her neck. She couldn't – or rather the Dursleys couldn't be seen as different.

Her one final flaw, which actually made Mr. Dursley very happy, was the fact that she couldn't speak. Hikosu was a mute. No matter what she did she couldn't utter a noise and because so they usually tied a bell to her wrist.

The only thing they couldn't change - or Mr. Dursley refused to actually pay for colored contacts the cheap ass that he was - was the fact that her stormy grey eyes changed to a molten silver color when she was experiencing intense emotions.

Of course, Mrs. Dursley was the only one who was civil enough towards her. Mr. Dursley looked like he wanted nothing more than to kick her out of the house at times, but Harry would have none of it. It was his only condition for not telling the police about their living conditions.

Yes, Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.

"Up! And get Dorothea up while you're at it!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it…and Hikosu was there with him. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.

"Her name is Hikosu." He mumbled to himself just to spite his aunt. He knew that the natural violet haired girl despised the name 'Dorothea', but there was nothing either of them could do about it.

The two of them were closer than ever. True to what the Earthen Magic predicted the two of them had formed a very strong bond. They weren't like siblings – they were closer than siblings. Harry stood up for her when Dudley would complain. He could read her better than he could a book, but then again she could read him the same way. She often tended to his wounds when Dudley would beat him up.

Then…there was this odd spectacle that started developing in the past year. It was odd, and at times a bit scary, but the stormy grey eyed girl could literally speak to Harry by sending messages into his mind. Harry looked up information about it whenever he could and found out that it was called telepathy, but for some reason he couldn't talk back to her. He was the only one who could hear her, but he didn't mind. It was…nice. To communicate with everyone else she carried around a thick notebook that she wrote in. Well, either that or she slowly mouthed the words.

Like the cheap ass that he was, Mr. Dursley refused to pay for sign language lessons. Said that they were too expensive and that he could get notebooks and pencils at the store for cheap.

Unfortunately, Harry was broken out of his thoughts once again. His aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded.

"Nearly," said Harry.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon after you get Dorothea up. And don't you dare let it burn. I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."

Harry groaned.

"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.

"Nothing, nothing…"

Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. When he was dressed he went down the hall and into the kitchen. He slipped through the back door and out to the tiny shed that used to house the gardening tools. Now, Hikosu slept there. He felt sorry for her – the gardening shed was smaller than his cupboard.

He lightly rapped on the door, pressing his ear against it to see if he could hear the bell on her wrist. He heard nothing so he unlatched the door – Mr. Dursley locked her in at night – and slowly opened it, smiling softly as he watched the sleeping girl. He stood there for a few moments, but he was harshly knocked out of his revere when his Aunt Petunia opened the door to yell at him.

"Well get a move on, then!" she shouted, slamming the door closed.

Harry sighed, creeping into the shed on his hands and knees. It had a low roof so he couldn't fully stand in it. When he managed to make it to her side, he gently nudged her shoulder.

"Hikosu, wake up." He whispered, smiling again as her eyelids fluttered open.

_**What do you want, Harry?**_ She asked him, voice faint in his mind. He knew that she was still half asleep as he pushed her hair back and away from her face. The ribbon that was around her neck was still tied tightly – it was almost pressing into her skin as if it were to rub the mark on her throat away. Mrs. Dursley had seen that it wouldn't come off.

"Hikosu, its Dudley's birthday. We forgot and you have to get dressed, now, or Aunt Petunia will get angry." Harry said, smirking when he remembered what was in store for the stormy grey eyed girl.

Hikosu's eyes snapped open and faded into a bright silver color. She looked towards Harry with a panicked look on her face.

_**What?! Harry, how could we forget! Now I have to…to…aah! I have to wear one of those frilly dresses that Petunia likes to dress me up in! I can't stand them! **_She exclaimed as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Harry only snorted at the other girl's misfortune. He may have had a strong bond with her, but that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy watching as she got all dolled up.

"Well…it's better than wearing a grimy tee-shirt and Dudley's old pants, isn't it?" he joked, pointing down at himself.

_**True…but… - **_it was here that she sighed in defeat _**– can you at least tell me what color it is?**_ She asked her best friend as she sat up and yawned tonelessly. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as he pushed her hair behind her ear. She was used to these little tidbits of affection. It showed that he cared.

"Pink and white I think. Couldn't see much through the plastic bag." He replied, green eyes dancing with mirth. Every year, on Dudley's birthday, Mrs. Dursley bought Hikosu a new dress. Since everyone thought she was Mrs. Dursley's adoptive daughter and they usually went out on Dudley's birthday, the blond woman was forced to buy her a nice dress every year. Usually it turned out very horribly.

_**Alright, I'm up. I'll see you in a bit.**_ Hikosu said, sending a smile in Harry's direction as she got to her knees. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top – Mrs. Dursley would most likely make her go upstairs without breakfast in order for her to change.

Harry smiled back and got up, hurrying to the kitchen so he could take over cooking the bacon. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley – the porker that he was – wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry. Dudley **was **very fat and hated exercise – unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry since he often stood up for Hikosu – Dudley was jealous of the natural violet haired girl, but even at his age he was a little perverted. Fortunately Harry always stepped in and defended her, grabbing her hand and running away. Dudley couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look like it, but he was very fast.

Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard. Both Harry and Hikosu were very pale, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and, like previously stated, bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him in the nose.

The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a lightning bolt. It was very curious that Hikosu also had a lightning bolt shaped scar on her forehead as well, but then again they both received them when they were young. Harry had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.

"In the car crash when your mother died." She had said, "And don't ask questions." Hikosu had asked the question as well, but got a much more pleasant answer.

"Poor Diddydums knocked you down and you hit your head on the door. He was traumatized and didn't know his own strength!" she had pretended to reminisce. She had politely asked her not to ask any more questions because it brought up to many bad memories.

**Don't ask questions** – that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon; Hikosu entered in the back door with her hair combed and clothes straight. Aunt Petunia immediately hurried over and ushered her upstairs to where she would pamper and pinch her into the second hand dress. She shot Harry a pleading look as they went through the door, but he only winked at her as he went back to cooking the bacon.

"Comb your hair!" Uncle Vernon barked, by way of a morning greeting. About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a new haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way – all over the place. The stormy grey eyed girl didn't mind, though. She simply ruffled his hair and stated that it gave him character.

Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. See the resemblance? Yeah, I bet you do.

Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel – Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. Hikosu thought so as well, but she couldn't voice her opinions…which might have been a good thing.

Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.

"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, its here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy." Aunt Petunia said, coming back into the kitchen. Hikosu was trailed behind her with a highly disturbed look on her face.

_**Bloody hell…Harry don't you DARE laugh at me.**_ The stormy grey eyed girl mumbled as he turned to look at her. Immediately he snorted in his food. Aunt Petunia managed to change her ribbon and now it was a bright pink color – it matched her poofy dress nicely. The dress itself had lace around the neck and puffed sleeves. The skirt of the dress went down to her knees and she had a small petticoat underneath it. White stockings were on her feet and black Mary-Jane style shoes were on her feet. Her hair had been pulled up into twin pigtails, but her face was clear of makeup…fortunately. Hikosu looked miserable.

_**Harry…stop it!**_ She whined, pouting her lips. Aunt Petunia took it as a 'I like this dress!' and cheerfully turned to the others.

"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.

Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **two** presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **Two** more presents. Is that all right?" Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work, the poor sod. Finally he said slowly,

"So I'll have thirty…thirty…" aww, poor boy can't count…

"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. Through the whole exchange Hikosu had gone to sit next to Harry. She moved the chair so that they were closer than the others; Harry didn't mind of course.

"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."

Uncle Vernon chuckled.

"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" he ruffled Dudley's hair. At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry, Hikosu, and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.

_**What's her problem?**_ Hikosu asked, exchanging a curious look with her best friend. He only shrugged and they turned back to the conversation.

"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction. Often enough Harry told the stormy grey eyed girl that it didn't matter, but Hikosu was often furious that they refused to take Harry with them whenever they went out.

Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a great leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him, Hikosu, and a friend out for the day – much to Hikosu's displeasure because of her dresses – to adventure parks, hamburger restauraunts, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Fig made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.

Really, can you imagine actually enjoying that?

"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a while year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, , and Tufty again.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

_**Oh, Lord, not Marge…Harry I feel sorry for you.**_ Hikosu whispered in his mind. Harry stole a quick look to the girl sitting beside him as she smiled at him.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there – or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. Hikosu glared at the two of them, but Aunt Petunia misinterpreted the glare as a glare towards Harry.

"Don't worry Dorothea, we'll think of something." She said, patting her hand. Harry wanted to bite back and say her name was Hikosu, but the girl in question only sent him a sharp look.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend –Yvonne?"

"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.

"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully. He'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer.

_**What?! And leave me to suffer alone? Harry!**_ Hikosu playfully shoved the emerald eyed boy on the shoulder, which made both of the Dursley adults smile in glee. Aunt Petunia's face quickly changed, though, and she looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.

"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.

"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.

"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car…"

"That car's new; he's not sitting in it alone…"

_**Bloody hell! How dare they say things like that! I'd like to give them a piece of my mind, but Lard-Head hasn't bought me any new notebooks!**_ Hikosu seethed. Her voice was loud and clear in Harry's mind, but nobody besides the emerald eyed boy noticed that her irises were slowly bleeding into molten silver.

Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd really cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted…except to give his 'sister' away. He made sure that she knew that the two weren't related – he even went as far as to say that her father, the man in the picture in her broken locket, didn't want her anymore.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry. Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

"I…don't…want…him…t-t-to…come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" he shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.

Just then, the doorbell rang – "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. He sidled over behind Hikosu and pinched her side, leering at her, then walked over to his friend. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.

_**Oh! Who does he think he is?! **_Hikosu whispered in Harry's mind. Her eyes were still that vibrant shade of silver, but what surprised her was the fact that the emerald eyed boy sent a heated glare in Piers' direction. She knew he was protective, but she didn't think he would do that with so many people present.

Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursley's car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. The stormy grey eyed girl was forced to sit in the front with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"

But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.

The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and Hikosu, though they usually blamed it on Harry anyway, and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.

Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the cheapest barber they could find looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.

Hikosu once told Aunt Petunia that she saw a great white wolf out in their front yard staring at her through the window. Petunia had naturally freaked and looked out the window to only see a normal white husky. Although it was unusual for them to be in the area, some people had them bred because of their beauty. Petunia merely told her she had a strong imagination.

Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's – brown with orange puff balls. The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.

Yet another time, Hikosu came inside scared stiff. She ran into Petunia, who had asked her why she was scared, and she hastily wrote down that she saw a hawk on a tree outside. She was about to go on her way, but the hawk had said her name! And she understood it! Petunia just laughed and said that Harry was filling her head with meaningless games, but by the look on her face and the tears glistening in her eyes Harry knew she wasn't lying. It was just a feeling he got deep in his soul.

Every now and then she could hear faint traces of animals talking to her. They would help her run away from Dudley or any bullies and, in return, she would try to feed them. They were nice to Harry, too.

On the other hand, Harry had gotten into terrible trouble for the two of them being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing them as usual when, as much to Harry and Hikosu's surprise as anyone else's, there they were sitting on the chimney. Actually, Harry was sitting on the chimney with Hikosu sitting on his lap. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry and Hikosu's headmistress telling them Harry and Hikosu had been climbing school buildings. Harry was the one who had gotten in trouble despite Hikosu's silent pleas and silver stained eyes.

All he'd tried to do, as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard, was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors with Hikosu behind him. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught them in mid-jump.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers, and Hikosu happened to be a special life saver, to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, Hikosu's shed, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.

While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Hikosu and Harry, the bank, Hikosu, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.

"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums." He said, as a motorcycle overtook them.

"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying…and Hikosu was in it."

_**Really? I had a dream about a cloaked figure riding a great panther and that white wolf I keep seeing in weird places.**_ Hikosu described, glancing back to see her best friend's expression.

Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with that stolen walrus hair that he had yet to return.

"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"

"Her name is Dorothea!"

_**Holy – tone it down! What, is he trying to deafen me, over here?**_ Hikosu winced at the loudness of Uncle Vernon's voice. She had taken the brunt of the shout since she was sitting right next to him. Petunia was at least a little quieter.

Dudley and Piers sniggered.

"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream"

It was times like these that he wished he could have an actual conversation with Hikosu, but unfortunately they were only able to have one when they were alone.

Now, Harry wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing that the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van asked what both Harry and Hikosu wanted before they could hurry them away, they bought the two young children cheap lemon ice pops. It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head that looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. I feel bad for the gorilla.

Hikosu, however, despised the taste of lemon. She gave Harry her ice pop when he was finished with his. Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. he was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.

Although Harry was used to walking alone, he was surprised when the stormy grey eyed girl slowed down until they were walking together. Subtly she slipped a hand into his and smiled at him before frowning and tugging on the pink ribbon that was tied tightly around her neck. Every so often he would glance over at her with a worried expression; since she could understand animals he wondered what it was like for all of them to be 'talking' at the same time.

Once, she caught him looking at her and forced a smile.

_**I'm ok, Harry. All of the animals are giving me a small headache, that's all.**_ She said, but he wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure?" he asked as they slowed to a stop. She didn't reply, but she squeezed his hand in an assuring manner. After their little exchange they ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry and Hikosu were allowed to share the first.

Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.

After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons.

Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can – but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.

"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.

_**Why don't they leave that poor animal alone?**_ Hikosu sighed noiselessly as she and Harry looked at the other snakes. All of the animals had greeted her cheerfully, but doing so at all the same time gave her such a huge headache. Now, the tapping on the glass was making it worse.

"We should be leaving soon, I would guess. I dunno, but are you sure you're ok?" Harry asked, worried once again for the health of his best friend. She only nodded, using her free hand to pull out the necklace with the mysterious man's picture in it. Petunia wouldn't say who he was, only that he was Hikosu's biological father and that he obviously didn't want her anymore since she arrived on the Dursleys' doorstep.

"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. Harry moved in front of the tank, guiding the stormy grey eyed girl behind him. They stood, looking intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.

**It winked.**

Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. nobody besides Hikosu and she was looking at the snake with wide eyes. She smiled and he looked back at the snake, winking as well.

The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:

"**I get that all the time**."

"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be very annoying."

The snake nodded vigorously.

_**Harry…he can understand you. How come you never told me you could talk to snakes?**_ Hikosu asked with a hurt voice. He blanched, a cold feeling creeping into his heart. The emerald eyed boy looked over to the stormy grey eyed girl with wide eyes, trying to quench the feeling in his heart.

"I…I didn't know. I've never talked to a snake before." He replied.

_**Do you think you could understand him if he would talk to you?**_ She asked, a small smile on her face now. The hurt was gone, replaced by understanding. The cold feeling was instantly swept away when he saw that she was no longer feeling that way.

"I don't know. Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked the snake. The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.

Boa Constrictor, Brazil. The snake was from Brazil.

"Was it nice there?"

The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was breed in the zoo.

"Oh, I see – so you've never been to Brazil?" as the snake shook its head a deafening shout behind Harry made all three of them jump.

"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T _BELIEVE_ WHAT IT'S DOING!" Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.

"Out of the way, you two." He said, punching Harry in the ribs before he jabbed Hikosu in the kidney. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. He couldn't be distracted for long because Hikosu fell as well with tears welling up in her eyes. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as she clutched the area where he jabbed her. Two things happened at once; Harry caught the stormy grey eyed girl while he sent a particularly nasty glare towards Dudley, and what came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened – one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.

Harry and Hikosu sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.

As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come…Thanksss, amigo."

_**Harry, did you understand the snake?**_ Hikosu asked, looking intently at the boy next to her. He only nodded dumbly as the snake went by.

The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.

"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"

The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But the worst part, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"

Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.

Later, after Hikosu nearly ran upstairs to tear that frilly dress off and changed into some comfier clothing – sweatpants and an overlarge shirt that Petunia bought secondhand – the two of them were lying in Harry's dark and cramped cupboard. He was wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Sometimes they let Hikosu sleep in the cupboard with him so he 'wouldn't get into any trouble'. Until the Dursleys were asleep, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. Of course, the stormy grey eyed girl volunteered, but Harry would have none of it. If she were caught she could be punished, or worse…sent away.

He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his mother had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his mother had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and, of course, he was forbidden from asking questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.

When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him and Hikosu away. But, of course, it never happened. The Dursleys were his only family. At least he had them – Hikosu didn't have anyone except for the man in her necklace…and he didn't even know if that man was still alive.

Yet sometimes he thought, or maybe hoped, that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and Hikosu. When he had bowed to him, he had taken Hikosu's hand and kissed it. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything.

A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at them once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and kissed Hikosu on the cheek…and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. Hikosu didn't mind – she thought that they were just expressing their friendliness in some sort of odd way.

At school, Harry had no one. He didn't care, though, for he enjoyed looking out for Hikosu. She was picked on much more than Harry ever could have been because of the fact that she couldn't talk and the ribbon around her neck never came off. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, but they hated Hikosu more. And nobody – and I do mean nobody – liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.


	4. Hikosu's Dream and the Letters

**Anything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling! I own Hikosu, Arista, and Cael.**

**Thanks to:**

**HarryBellaHermione - Thanks!**

**Raine44354 - I know! I hate that I can't do much romance since they're so young...but little by little they'll grow closer =D**

**TwilightEclps - lol Next chapter will be up after the next chapter of Prophecy of Truth**

**Ella950 - lol, well I'm glad.**

**StarSteller - I believe I covered everything with your review in my review response. It is simply too long to answer everything in a chapter for it will take away from the actual chapter.**

**Thanks again!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Hikosu's Dream and the Letters**

* * *

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. It was also his worst punishment. He wasn't allowed to talk to Hikosu for she was locked in her shed outside. It was more for Harry's punishment, but the Dursleys were getting concerned that something 'strange' was going on with her.

The stormy grey eyed girl had started having strange dreams. There were animals who were talking to her, and then there was the white wolf. There was another woman and a man, but there was this…feeling that kept recurring in her dream. It wasn't bad – it was just strange. Strange and warm.

The night was hot and the natural violet haired girl was having yet another dream. This one was the most vivid dream she had ever had. In the cupboard under the stairs Harry felt like something was wrong, even in his sleep. A small frown marred his face as he tossed and turned in his sleep before he eventually calmed. Even if he was awake he was a thin boy. There was no way that he would be able to get out from his cupboard.

Within the stormy grey eyed girl's mind…it was like a different world.

_Hikosu was floating. There was nothing around her, nothing to harm her, and nothing to control her. She was simply there. Her body wouldn't respond to her brain's commands and that fact alone made her scared. Where was she? Where was Harry? Was this a dream? Was it real?_

_Her mind began racing, but her eyes remained closed. They were unable to open and she couldn't speak – not that that particular problem was new – or feel. Her body was numb. Suddenly, the natural violet haired girl just barely felt someone – or something – touch the hollow of her throat._

_Suddenly…it was like her senses came alive. Her stormy grey eyes snapped open while the stormy irises bled into silver…and a voice entered her mind, ears, soul, and very being._

"_Excito, meus darling. Excito ex vestri dormio. Nusquam vadum vulnero vos hic." (Wake, my darling. Wake from your slumber. Nothing shall harm you here.) Were the words that were spoken. The language seemed like it was in…Latin…but the words that echoed in her mind were plain English. _

"_What? Who are you? I mean…what are you?" the stormy grey eyed girl said out loud. Her voice was hoarse from not being able to use it. Wait a second…Hikosu's body flew forward as she realized that she could move. She could talk!_

"_Ego sum vestri sator." (I am your creator.) The voice said as a warm feeling caressed the young girl's body. She looked around curiously, but the only thing she could see was a vast amount of blackness._

"_My creator? What does that mean? You're my mum or something?" the voice seemed like it would be female. After all, if it was Hikosu's creator and she had a father…then the only explanation was that the voice was female._

"_Ego sum Terra Veneficus. Ego usus haud firmus vultus pro Ego sum valde core of veneficus universitas." (I am the Earthen Magic. I possess no solid form for I am the very core of the magical world.) The same voice calmly and warmly explained to the wide eyed stormy grey eyed girl._

_Hikosu was confused. Earthen Magic? Magical world? This made no sense. It had to be a dream…but it was so real._

"_Then…can you explain why I can understand animals? And why strange things always happen to Harry and me?" Hikosu asked with hopeful eyes. There was a long pause before the warm voice spoke again. It was like the girl was actually having a conversation with someone. It was…nice._

"_Meus carus , panton mos planto voluntas vobis nunc. Northmanni Ego operor non directus rector humanus veneficus , tamen utpote vos es unus of meus liberi quod Ego voluntas atrum vicis appositus. Ego must tribuo vos a admonitio , parvulus." (My dear, everything will make sense to you soon. Normally I do not directly guide human magic, but since you are one of my children and I sense dark times approaching...I must give you a warning, child.) The words were becoming more rushed and the stormy grey eyed girl could barely make out what the voice was saying._

"_What? What are you talking about?! I don't understand! What warning?!" Hikosu was becoming frustrated. She didn't understand how she could possibly understand Latin – it just wasn't possible! How in the bloody hell was she floating? Why would she need a warning? And just what in the seven levels of Hell is the Earthen Magic?_

"_Caveo posterus. Servo tener Differo propinquus. Vestri abbas…sit alive. Is diligo vos summopere Hikosu. Memor comprehendo veneficus quod Cael mos incubo vos!" (Beware the future. Keep young Harry close. Your father...he is alive. He loves you very much, Hikosu. Remember to embrace the magic and Cael will watch over you!) And with that the voice faced and a bright light blinded her. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again…_

She was facing the incredibly cramped wall of the shed she was forced to sleep in. Hikosu was both terribly disappointed that her dream wouldn't at least answer her questions, no matter how fake the answers might have been, and highly confused at what her dream had meant. Magic? Dark times? And someone named Cael…bollocks! The stormy grey eyed girl didn't even know anyone named Cael. After a few moments her eyelids grew heavy again and she rolled over, falling back into a dreamless sleep.

The next day Harry's punishment was over and the summer holidays had started. Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.

Both Harry and Hikosu were glad that school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all extremely big and extremely stupid. But, alas, since Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting. Of course, they did like to gang up in Hikosu quite a bit as well.

This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, taking the stormy grey eyed girl with him. They wandered around and thought about the end of the holidays where they could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came both of them would be going off to the same secondary school and, for the first time in their lives, they wouldn't have to put up with Dudley. The hideously obese boy had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school…a school by the godawful name of Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too.

Harry and Hikosu, on the other hand, were going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny, but Hikosu thought just the opposite. She knew she was going to be made fun of because of the fact that she couldn't speak. Harry consoled her, saying that he would be there for her, but there was always this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was something more he could do.

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"

"No, thanks," said Harry as he pulled Hikosu behind him, "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it – it might be sick." Then he ran, pulling the silently laughing girl behind him before Dudley could work out what he'd said. Harry grinned, feeling on top of the world as he listened to the chiming bell that was tied to Hikosu's wrist.

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry and Hikosu, at the stormy grey eyed girl's insistence, at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let the two children watch television and gave them a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. She left them to their own devices, fairly sure that they would be able to take care of themselves.

It was then that Harry turned to his best friend with a worried expression on his face. He was no idiot. He could sense that something was bothering the stormy grey eyed girl that was sitting next to him.

"Hikosu, are you alright?" he asked, staring at her face for any hit at what was going on.

_**Harry, I'm fine…stop worrying 'bout me. **_She sighed. Ever since she told him of her first dream he had been badgering her about them.

"Was it another dream? I can tell something's bothering you." Harry said, eyes narrowing as his heart began to quicken. Something was wrong…and it was unusual for Hikosu not to tell him what she was feeling.

_**I'm FINE. **_She replied shortly, setting down the half eaten piece of cake and turning away from the boy sitting next to her. She was confused about her dreams and she was not one to like being confused.

"No you're **not**. Now talk to me, you always did before. What's changed?" Harry said quietly as he hugged his best friend from behind. His heart was still beating fast, but a warm feeling spread through his body when he noticed a small smile on the girl's face.

_**You always know me so well, don't you Harry? **_Hikosu sighed, turning around and hugging the boy tightly.

"Of course. You're my best friend. It's my job." Harry admonished, wagging a finger in her face. He may be almost eleven, but he was still a good friend.

_**Can…I tell you later? Back at the house? **_Hikosu whispered, pulling back to look him in the eye. His emerald orbs were sparkling happily – he knew that she was feeling better when a small smile stretched across her face.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't forget, okay?" he murmured as they hugged again. She shook her head and laughed silently and not for the first time Harry wondered what her laugh sounded like.

That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life…yeah training to be gits.

As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins – he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. The stormy grey eyed girl, however, was openly laughing with tears streaming down her face.

Unfortunately, with all of the commotion at their house Hikosu completely forgot to tell Harry about her dream. Harry didn't mind simply due to the fact that he forgot as well. They were almost eleven so it didn't really matter.

There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. The stormy grey eyed girl was already there, sitting in a corner with one of her small hands pressed against her face. The stench seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look and nearly reeled back from the smell. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.

"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia

_**They're our new prison rags.**_ Hikosu sarcastically said, winking at the emerald eyed boy. He smiled at her obvious good mood, but Petunia wasn't as happy. The older woman's lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.

"Your new school uniform. Hikosu and I will go to the surplus store later." She said. Harry looked in the bowl again. Suddenly, he had the urge to make the stormy grey eyed girl laugh.

"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet." The boy was rewarded as a new bell – now attached to the ribbon on her neck, courtesy of Petunia, since she lost her other one – chimed as Hikosu started giggling.

"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."

Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He was getting new clothes at least. The emerald eyed boy sat down at the table next to Hikosu and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High – like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. They'll be loose, grey, and wrinkly.

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell of Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letter son the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

"Make Hikosu get it."

"She doesn't have to do anything if she doesn't want to!" Harry ground out. He was getting sick and tired of Dudley picking on his best friend. She looked at him with wide eyes at first, but they instantly softened when their eyes met. She smiled in thanks, leaning over and giving him a short peck on the cheek.

"Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it."

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."

Harry lowly growled, but he dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Four things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and – **a letter for Harry**. His eyes widened and his heart quickened as he looked at the last letter. It was** a letter for Hikosu.**

Harry picked up the pile and stared at his letter, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends except for Hikosu…and she lived with him. He didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Hikosu's letter was exactly the same…hers was addressed differently, though. Instead it read:

**Miss H. Snape**

**The Shed in the Backyard**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

It was surreal. The only person that would be writing to Hikosu would be…her father perhaps? But then why would it have the same type of parchment and the same colored ink.

Turning his envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter _H_.

"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" the large beefy man chuckled at his own joke. Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Hikosu hers and then handed Uncle Vernon the bill and postcard. He sat down and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.

Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. The stormy grey eyed girl eyed her letter curiously before opening it. She never got a chance to read it because Dudley viciously ripped it from her grip. In doing so the letter was violently ripped in several pieces. Her mouth opened in a silent wail as tears formed in her eyes – Harry was in a similar situation with his letter.

"Marge's ill," Vernon informed the skinny woman that claimed to be her mum. "Ate a funny whelk…" he continued as Dudley zeroed in on Harry's letter.

"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" apparently he learned from just suddenly grabbing it out of someone's hands.

Harry was at the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it ws jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.

"That's **mine**" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.

"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.

"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.

Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Petunia bent and collected the remains of Hikosu's letter, reading it with the same expression as Vernon did with Harry's. Aunt Petunia looked for a moment like she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness – Vernon!"

They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry, Dudley, and Hikosu were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.

"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.

"**I** want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **mine**"

_**Well what about me? The bloody git tore mine to pieces! **_Hikosu explained, a wave of unfamiliar anger that wasn't his suddenly flashing through Harry as the stormy grey eyed girl glared at Dudley.

"Get out, all of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. Harry didn't move, but Hikosu made to stand. She was angry, yes, but she was only an almost eleven year old girl.

"I WANT MY LETTER!" Harry shouted, startling Hikosu from her anger.

"Let **me** see it!" demanded Dudley.

"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Hikosu was already sitting in the hallway with her back against the cupboard door. With a worried glance from the emerald eyed boy, she curled her arms against her legs and rested her chin on top of them.

Harry and Dudley then had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudly won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.

"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "Look at the addresses – how could they possibly know where they sleep? You don't think they're watching the house?"

"Watching – spying – might be following us. What about that wolf the girl keeps yammering about? The white one?" muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.

"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want –"

Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.

"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer…yes, that's best…we won't do anything…."

"But –"

"I'm not having one, let alone two, in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense! And that girl – she's supposed to be even worse! According to that blasted letter we got when she was dumped here, she's not even human!"

The conversation sent Harry's mind reeling. What nonsense? What letter? How in the seven levels of Hell could Hikosu not be human? He wanted answers and by Jove he was going to get them one way or another!

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Well, not fate. Mostly Uncle Vernon had other plans.

That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.

"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door.

"Who's writing to me?"

"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."

"It was **not** a mistake," said Harry angrily. After all, Hikosu had gotten one with the exact same paper and written in the exact same ink. They were even addressed the same way!

"It had my cupboard on it."

"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.

"Er-yes, Harry – about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking…you're really getting a bit big for it…we think it might be nice f you moved into Dudley's second bedroom." Vernon said.

"What about Hikosu? Her shed is smaller than my cupboard. Surly she can use the room more." Harry retorted. He hated how his Uncle Vernon was never thinking about the stormy grey eyed girl. He even made her sleep in the shed during the winter!

"Well –er- if you feel **Dorothea** should need the room more…how about you share it? There's only one bed for now, but – well – I suppose I can find a spare mattress lying about." The big beefy man stuttered.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. Apparently he had used his quota of niceness for the day. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."

The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room and Hikosu took only one as well. It wasn't like they owned much of anything.

He sat down on the bed and stared around him, patting the spot next to him when Hikosu appeared. She curled up next to the emerald eyed boy and yawned.

_**Why did Vernon want me inside? He's never wanted me inside before…**_ the stormy grey eyed girl asked, looking at her best friend with big eyes.

"I told him you'd need the room more." Harry replied, looking over at her. A warm feeling spread through his chest when he witnessed her smile.

_**Aww, really? My hero. **_She said, leaning up and kissing the emerald eyed boy on the cheek. He flushed but a grin spread across his face.

_**Anyway, what're we going to do when we sleep? **_She asked him as she curled up by his side again.

"Dunno. I guess I can sleep on the floor until Uncle Vernon brings in the spare mattress. If he remembers that is." Harry mumbled, not liking the idea of sleeping on the floor, but he didn't want Hikosu sleeping on the floor either.

_**Don't worry. We can share the bed…as long as you don't do anything perverted. **_Hikosu laughed as her best friend's face turned a bright shade of red.

"Hikosu!" he exclaimed, laughing as the girl beside him burst into a fit of silent giggles.

As the stormy grey eyed girl settled into a nap, Harry looked around the room. Nearly everything in there was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled. There was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was upon on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books…which were probably never read. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.

From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **want** them there! I **need** that room…make them get out…move him back to the cupboard…kick her out of the house if you have to!"

Harry sighed and tried not to get angry. He stretched out on the bed, smiling as Hikosu instantly nestled into his side. It was just like when they shared his cupboard. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today, he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. The only good thing was that Hikosu was now inside and protected from the elements.

Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Hikosu's head was on his shoulder, she had already told him that she'd woken up in the middle of the night and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.

When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to the children who weren't his, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's more! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom…' and 'Miss H. Snape, The Smallest Bedroom…' –"

With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall. Harry had jumped up and Hikosu fell from her chair. He sent her an apologetic look before following Vernon while Petunia jumped up to help her to her feet.

Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letters from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. Once again, Hikosu's letter was torn to pieces.

"Go to your cupboard – I mean, your bedroom." He wheezed at Harry. "Dudley – go – just go." Hikosu was still in the kitchen, but she would be sent to her room later.

Harry walked round and round his new room as the stormy grey eyed girl entered. They shared a confused look. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. The same thing was happening to Hikosu. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.

The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently before covering Hikosu once again. She'd been having more of those dreams, but he hadn't bothered her again since they forgot to talk about it. She needed her sleep. He opened the door as quietly as he could because he couldn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.

He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heat hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door –

"AARGH!"

Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat – something **alive**!

Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. The emerald eyed boy shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see six letters addressed in green ink. Three for him and three for Hikosu.

"I want –" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. The sound of a bell chiming caught his attention and he looked up the stairs just in time to see the stormy grey eyed girl dash back into their room. A pang of coldness hit his chest when he realized that tears had been streaming down her cheeks.

Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.

"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **deliver** them they'll just give up."

"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."

"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for each of the two magical children. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.

Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. There was definitely something wrong with him.

On Saturday, things began to definitely get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry and Twenty-four letters to Hikosu found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia and inside two dozen cans of canned fruit. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to while Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.

"Who on Earth wants to talk to **you two** this badly?" Dudley asked Harry and Hikosu in amazement. On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. Hikosu didn't even bother to come down – she was once again up all night due to the reoccurring dream she had been having. The one about the Earthen magic and the warning. It was like a movie and out of body experience put together.

"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today –"

Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters – each – came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.

"Out! OUT!"

Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.

"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts of walrus hair out of his mustache at the same time.

"I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" the beefy man exclaimed.

He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Hikosu was still half asleep with her head resting on Harry's shoulder and Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. Harry and Hikosu were able to share a bag.

They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.

"Shake 'em off…shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.

They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.

Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with Hikosu; Harry slept on the couch while Dudley and Hikosu slept on the beds. Dudley snored, but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…

Once again Hikosu couldn't sleep. She had a nightmare about a big white wolf and a dark hared man…the same man whose picture was in her locket. Harry was definitely beginning to worry about her.

In the morning they ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.

"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? And is one of you Ladies Miss H. Snape? Only I got about an 'undred of these for each at the front desk." She held up two letters so they could read the green ink addresses:

**Mr. H Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

Was the address on Harry's letter. Hikosu's was the same except it had her name on it. Harry made a grab for the letter, but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.

"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.

"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.

_**W-what was his f-first clue? Vernon's always b-been a bit mad. **_Hikosu weakly said in his mind. She had been so exhausted because of her dreams; waking up in the middle of the night and not being able go to back to sleep.

"Go to sleep, Hikosu. Please? I'm worried about you…" Harry whispered as he wrapped an arm around her waist. She wrapped both of hers around Harry's waist as she rested her head in his lap. He started to pet her hair as her eyes fluttered shut. It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.

"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **television**."

Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **was** Monday – and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television – then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun – last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day. Hikosu usually spent the day with him, making him feel loved.

Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.

"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"

It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain; there was no television in there.

"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"

A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbling in the iron-gray water below them.

"I've already got us some rations," said the beefy male, "so all aboard!"

It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.

The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.

Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and five bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry and Hikosu were left to find the softest bit of floor they could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.

Harry was worried that his best friend wouldn't be able to sleep once again. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her use his arm as a pillow, but he could tell it wasn't working. Her eyes were flashing between silver and grey due to her exhaustion and bags were forming under her eyes.

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry and Hikosu shivered and changed positions as they tried to get comfortable. Their stomachs were rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's wristwatch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, happy that Hikosu had finally fallen asleep with her head nestled against his chest. He wondered if the Dursleys would remember at all – Hikosu would, she always did – wondering where the letter writer was now.

Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to seal one somehow.

Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?

One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds…twenty…ten…nine – maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him – three…two…one…

BOOM

The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, violently waking up Hikosu in the process, as he stared at the door.

Someone was outside, knocking to come in.


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

**Hey, guys! This chapter explains a little more about the drawbacks of being an Animalia. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling. I own Hikosu, Arista, Cael, and Epsis.**

**Thanks to:**

**TwilightEclps - Lol here's you're more!**

**Raine44354 - Lol, yeah she has purple hair. I'm thinking about making her eye completely silver when she drinks from the Animalia Life Spring.**

**Thanks again!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**The Keeper of the Keys and Another Unexpected Guest**

* * *

BOOM!

Whoever was knocking pounded on the door again. Dudley jerked awake.

"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.

_**Where's his brain? Oh wait. That's right. He never had one. **_Hikosu sarcastically commented with a tired look on her face. She was absently rubbing a spot on the back of her head where she hit the floor when Harry jumped up.

There was a great crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.

"Who's there?" he shouted – or more like squeaked. "I warn you – I'm armed!"

There was a pause, a muffled grunt, and then…

SMASH!

The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

_**Oh…my…word. **_The stormy grey eyed girl whispered into Harry's mind. He was pretty much affected the same except he didn't say anything. Suddenly, scrambled to his feet and pulled Hikosu up beside him, pushing her back so that she had to look over his shoulder.

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little, but not much. Then, the great beast of a man turned to look at them all.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…." He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. Harry could feel Hikosu relaxing behind him and started to relax himself. She was usually a good judgment of character, but sometimes she can be too curious for her own good.

"Budge up, yeh great lump." Said the stranger. Harry couldn't help but snort; maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.

"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. Hikosu stifled a silent giggle, but she stopped when the emerald eyed boy grasped her hand. He looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinckled in a smile.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said, "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. Bell chimes echoed through the room as Hikosu laughed. Harry smirked over his shoulder at her as the giant finally spotted the stormy grey eyed girl.

"Blimy – is that lil' Hikosu? Why, you was a baby last time I saw you, too! Though, you had some mighty pretty purple hair then. Yer dad's worried about you. Wants to see you, he does." Hikosu gasped, mind reeling from the information the giant reveled.

Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being troddon on.

"Anyway – Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

_**That's right. Happy birthday, Harry. **_Hikosu said, brushing her lips over Harry's cheek. He blushed lightly but it drew a great laugh from the giant of a man. From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **Happy Birthday Harry **written on it in green icing.

"Ida make you one, too, Hikosu on a countin' yer birthday is tomorra, but I coulnt fit it in meh coat." The stormy grey eyed girl only shook her head and supplied him with a small smile.

_**Could you tell him that it's okay, Harry? **_She asked and Harry relayed the message. The room stared at him; it was the first time he had relayed the message for her before.

Harry looked between his cake and the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"

The giant chuckled.

"True. I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. The gentle sound of bells chimed again, alerting everyone that Hikosu was laughing again.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger of yeh've got it, mind."

Hagrid's eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. He could tell that his best friend felt the same for she leaned against his back and yawned. It was a good sign; she needed to get some sleep.

The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy bag of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."

The giant chuckled darkly.

_**I like this guy, Harry. He seems nice.**_ Hikosu faintly remarked as she started blinking rapidly.

"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Harry and Hikosu, who were both so hungry they had never tasted anything so wonderful. Hikosu actually almost fell asleep while eating, but she had the emerald eyed boy to gently wake her up and make sure she ate. Only when she was finished did he eat. Both of the children couldn't take their eyes of the giant.

Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, Harry said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."

The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Call me Hagrid," the giant said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwards – yeh'll know all about Howgarts, o'course."

_**Hogwarts? What in God's name is a Hogwarts, Harry? **_The stormy grey eyed girl could barely keep her eyes open so the emerald eyed boy just shushed her and told her to go to sleep. She complied, laying her head in his lap as he looked back up at the giant.

"Er-no," said Harry. Hagrid looked shocked and then looked like he was going to be ill.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly in response to Hagrid's expression.

"**Sorry**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I know yeh two weren't gettin' yer letters but I never though yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"

"All what?" asked Harry.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered, consequently waking the sleeping girl again. She began to whine softly, but since she was mute nobody heard her except for Harry.

_**Harry…I'm so tired, but I can't sleep…I don't think I can take it anymore…**_ the stormy grey eyed girl whimpered, tearing up.

"Hagrid…could you maybe…lower your voice a little? Hikosu's been having trouble sleeping and she needs her sleep." Harry quietly asked. It wasn't like he was afraid of the giant…he just wasn't fond of being squished. Hagrid spared him a worried glance and a nod, but continued to whisper-yell at the Dursleys.

"Now wait jus' one second!" the giant had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.

"Do you mean ter tell me," He growled at the Dursleys, "that these kids – these kids! – knows nothin' abou' – about ANYTHING?" Hagrid had accidentally yelled the last word.

Harry was relieved that Hikosu had slipped back into quiet slumber, but he also thought that this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.

"I know **some** things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."

But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said "About **our** world, I mean. **My **world. **Yer and Hikosu's **world. **Yer parents' and her da's world**."

"What world?"

Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.

"DURSLEY!" he boomed, consequently waking Hikosu again. This time, however, it was a sure thing that she wasn't going to be falling back asleep. Instead she just lied there with her head still in Harry's lap with his hand running through his hair. Her hand was intertwined with his free hand.

Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whisered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry and Hikosu.

"But yeh must know about yer mum and dad…an'- an' Professor Snape, to!" he said. "I mean, they're **famous**. You two are **famous**!"

"What? My – mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"

_**Wait, did he just say that my dad was a Professor?**_ Hikosu asked Harry, tired and bloodshot eyes turning a bright hue of silver.

"Yeh don' know…yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing the two children with a bewildered stare. He didn't even seem to mind that Hikosu's eyes were now bright silver and currently fixed upon him.

"Yeh don' know what yeh **are**?" he said finally.

Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the two of them anything!" a braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.

"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left for him? What about Hikosu? Never told her what she was? That her kind is so rare in the magical world that there are less than a thousand scattered all across the world? Never told her why she was staying with you when her father – her **father!** – wasn't allowed to have her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave the letter, Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?" Hagrid's accent disappeared with his rage.

Harry looked down at the girl in his lap with excited emerald eyes. What had the Dursleys been keeping from them?

"Kept **what** from us? Said Harry eagerly.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry – yer a wizard. Hikosu – yer an Animalia…and a witch too if yeh want ter be. Dumbledore did send yeh a letter after all."

_**What…in the seven levels of hell…is an Animalia? I know what a witch and a wizard are… but an Animalia? Never heard of it. Wait! Maybe that's why I can talk to animals!**_ Sudden realization hit the normally stormy grey eyed girl and her currently silver color eyes glowed even brighter.

There was silence inside the hut. Pure silence. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.

"I'm a **what?**" gasped Harry.

_**I believe he called you a wizard. All in all that sounds much cooler than a witch. I don't think I look all gross and pimply, do I? And I still don't know what an Animalia is. **_Hikosu commented as she silently yawned.

"A wizard, o' course, and Hikosu is a witch and an Animalia. Dun know exactly what that is, but Arista'll be comin' in the mornin' ter help with that problem." Said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "An' you two are thumpin' good'uns, I'd say. Once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' Hikosu. Yer dad's the greatest Potions Master in the UK, I'd wager. An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter. Sorry, mate, I've only got 'un fer Harry. I mighta lost yers, Hikosu."

Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:

* * *

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Wichcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

_Deputy Headmistress_

* * *

Both Harry and Hikosu were speechless. Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl – a real, live, rather ruffled looking owl – a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Given Harry his letter. Hikosu is with him.**

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**

**Arista will arrive in the morning.**

**She'll take Hikosu to the Animalia Life Spring.**

**We'll meet up at Diagon Alley.**

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**Hagrid.**

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.

"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

"They're not going," he said.

Hagrid grunted in obvious annoyance.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop them," he said, "Besides. I dun think Arista'd like for you ter try ter keep Hikosu from goin' to the Animalia Life Spring."

"A what?" said Harry, interested. Both of the children were interested.

"A Mubble," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. an' it's your bad luck you two grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

"And the…Animalia Life Spring?" Harry pressed as Hikosu's grip on his hand tightened a fraction.

"I dun know the specifics, but Hikosu needs to go to the Animalia Life Spring – the source of an Animalia's magic - and drink the water. The dreams'll stop – from what Arista said – an' her magic'll start to develop more. And then at thirteen…ah I better let Arista 'splain all that to yah."

"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed! And that little brat! She's not human! She's more of a freak than the boy!"

"You **knew**?" said Harry. "You **knew** I'm a – a wizard?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**Knew**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that – that **school** – and came home every vacation with her pocket full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was – a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were so proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had wanted to say all this for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as – as – **abnormal – **and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you! And if it wasn't bad enough we also had to take in that brat of a girl! We tried to make her normal – gave her a normal name – but she's just as much a freak as you are!"

Harry had gone very white. Hikosu was whimpering in his mind again and his heart had suddenly gone very cold for several reasons. Petunia had caused Hikosu pain and he couldn't stand her being in any sort of pain…and she had just insulted his mother. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me she died in a car crash!"

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily Potter? James gone missin' is bad enough, but to accuse her of bein' killed in a car crash? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter and Hikosu Snape not knowin' their own stories when every kid in our world knows their names!"

"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. The girl who was laying in his lap had started trembling, but he couldn't tell if it was because she was tired, crying, or if something else was wrong.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble getting' hold of yeh – but someone's gotta – yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh – mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with – with a person called – but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows –"

"Who?"

"Well – I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does"

"Why not?" Hikosu had been quiet through the whole exchange, but the soft feeling of her simple presence in Harry's mind reassured him that she was still awake and alright.

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizrd who went…bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah – can't spell it. All right – **Voldemort**." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this – this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too – some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was getting' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter' trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches…terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him – an' he killed 'em. Horribley. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."

Hagrid trailed off as he reminisced before shaking his head and continuing his story.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before…probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side…"

Here he reminisced once again, but before he could go too far he shook his head again and finished his story.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em…maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living – including Professor Snape and Hikosu, they lived down the street, despite his obvious dislike of yer dad – on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' – an' –" Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad – knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find – anywhere…

"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then – an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing – he tried to kill you, too. And Hikosu. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you two got that mark on yer foreheads? That was no ordinary cut for either of yeh. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh – took care of yer mum an' we dun know where yer dad is, an' yer house, even – but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you and Hikosu, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age – the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts – an' you two was only babies, an' you lived…" Hagrid finally trailed off after his long speech.

Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before – and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. Hikosu shivered on his lap and he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He looked down with a worried frown; her eyes were still glowing silver…but she looked so tired.

Hagrid was watching them sadly.

"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…but Arista took Hikosu ter get her mark first. The one on her throat…and…Blimey! Hikosu, what happened ter yer hair? I coulda sworn it was a purple color when you was a baby." And with that he blinked owlishly, looking at them harder than before. It was easy enough to see that the two of them cared for one another.

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at all three of them with his fists clenched.

"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you and your little girlfriend – or whatever she is – probably nothing a good beating would have cured – and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion – asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types – just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end –"

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley – I'm warning you – one more word…"

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.

Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.

"But what happened to Vol-, sorry – I mean, You-Know-Who?"

"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you an' Hikosu. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see…he was getting' more an' more powerful – why'd he go?

"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.

"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you two finished him, Harry…Hikosu. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on – **I **dunno what it was, no one does – but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, howe come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?

_**Harry…don't doubt yourself. I don't think that I'm a witch…but this Animalia stuff. It even has 'animal' in the name. Why else can I speak to animals? It doesn't make sense, but it's the only thing we have to work with. **_Hikosu whispered in his mind. Even the voice in his head was becoming weak. He wasn't worried too much about her now, but if she wasn't better in the morning…well, later in the morning when they woke up, then he would start to panic.

"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.

"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"

Harry looked into the fire, feeling Hikosu's 'gentle nudging' in his mind. It was like a hug in his head…sort of. As of late he could feel the barest traces of her emotions. If she was scared or angry. She couldn't feel his, which was weird, but they were still closer than ever.

Now he came to think about it…every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry…chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach. The same thing happened to Hikosu…something inexplicable. When he dreaded going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back…and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?

Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard – you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts along with lil Hikosu."

_**I'm not little! Gah, why does everyone always call me little?**_ Harry could feel traces of frustration and annoyance as she said the words. Perhaps he'd have a chance to ask an adult witch or wizard why he could do these things.

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you they're not going?" he hissed. "They're going to Stonewall High and they'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they need all sorts of rubbish – spell books and wands and –"

"If they want to go, a great Muggle like you won't stop them. Especially when Arista comes to take Hikosu to the Animalia Life Spring to meet with Cael. She's gone too long without the Life Spring's magic – s' why she's so weak." Growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! An' Professor Snape's daughter! Why I wouln' be surprised if he came hisself and got 'er! Yer mad. They're name's been down ever since they was born. They're off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won't know themselves. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, and Hikosu'll be right there with him! They'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbledore."

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOE CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH THEM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head.

"NEVER-" he thundered, "-INSULT-ALBUS-DUMBLEDORE-IN-FRONT-OF-ME!"

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley – there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

Harry looked down at Hikosu, fully expecting her to be laughing, but when he saw her limp hand and glazed over eyes he knew something was wrong. Her breathing was labored and a light sweat was building on her head.

"Hagrid, what's wrong with her?" Harry asked, terrified. He didn't know what was wrong with her.

"Like I said before…Hikosu needs the water of the Animalia Life Spring. I dun know much, but when Arista explained it this is the gist that I got. An Animalia needs ter drink from the Life Spring once a year or their magical powers build up. Or summat like that. Hikosu's only drank once in her life so she's got almost ten years built up. She needs ter drink before her eleventh birthday or she could stand a chance of…of…" Hagrid looked down and Harry's heart almost literally froze.

"Hagrid? Stand a chance of what?" Harry frantically asked, squeezing Hikosu's hand reassuringly.

"Of…dyin'." And Harry's heart almost froze over.

"But dun worry. Arista's comin' ta take 'er to the Life Spring. After that she'll hafta drink once a day fer the next three years or summat like that. Ye'll havfta ask Arista the details."

He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows after he thought a bit.

"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts…what happened wit yer cousin 'n all." He said. "I'm – er – not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff – one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job –"

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.

"Oh, well – I was at Hogwarts meself but I – er – got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Why were you expelled?"

"It's getting' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that. We'll meet Hikosu at Diagon Alley."

He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.

"You can kip under that," Hagrid said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

With that Harry gently settled down and made sure that Hikosu was comfortable. She had started shivering in her sleep – yes she had finally gone to sleep – but he let her head rest upon his chest. He snuggled down against her and placed a kiss on her forehead before falling asleep himself.

Outside, in the rain, a rather disgruntled jaguarhad landed on the rock. It had landed from mid air, seemingly appearing out of nowhere into the storm. Being a big cat, the jaguar hated getting wet. Her mistress was standing beside her as she looked upon the small hut.

Quietly they entered the hut, and the woman – identified as Arista – quickly wandered over to the two. It had been ten years since she had seen her little sibling. All Animalia were related in one way or another, but that is if they were born from the Earthen magic. There were few normal witches and wizards that were gifted with the sign of Animalia…like a certain wizard that was thought to be missing.

Arista looked down at the small Animalia with a worried expression etched onto her face. Her jaguar, whose name was Epsis, curled up around them while she did her best to keep the two children warm.

"Oh, dear Hikosu. You're condition is worse than I thought. We shall leave at first light – when the storm is gone and the sky is clear. Cael is most eager to meet you." and with that she _shifted_, turning into a spotted leopard. She curled up around the two as well, trying her best to keep them warm.

Arista's last thought was "I hope I wasn't too late."


	6. Animalia Life Spring and Diagon Alley

**Anything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling. I own Hikosu, Cael, Arista, and Epsis.**

**Thanks to:**

**Raine44354 - Really? I always want to do silver hair and amber eyes no matter what universe it is in. Weird, huh? But pretty. I went with the silver eyes, too XD**

**Twilight Eclps - Glad you like it!**

**Dammi forza - Review for chapter three, but my response shall be here...because I'm too lazy to put my response in chapter 4 for you to read lol. Anyway, beautiful pic! Exactly how I imagined her eyes.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**The Animalia Life Spring and Diagon Alley**

* * *

Arista woke a short four hours later, perking her head up and nudging the panting girl's arm. She didn't move and that worried the older Animalia greatly. The magical buildup was becoming too much for the girl to handle and she could slip into a coma permanently…or if the magical buildup was powerful enough then her magical core would destroy itself and she would die. She had one day – today – to get Hikosu to the Animalia Life Spring or else…no, Arista didn't want to think about it.

She phased back into a humanoid, bright eyes blinking in the extremely early morning light. Epsis blinked up at her as soon as her mistress moved, but refrained from phasing into her humanoid mode.

The two main differences between animal guides and Animalia was that animal guides were born animals whereas Animalia were born human, and animal guides were to serve and protect their Animalia masters. Animal guides were able to phase into humanoids, but they still take on animal characteristics where the Animalia were able to phase into the animal that represents their soul. For Arista, her spotted leopard form represented that her soul was fierce and courageous.

Arista couldn't take Hikosu while Harry was still sleeping; he would have a conniption fit when he saw that she was gone. Instead, she just waited until the boy woke.

Harry woke several hours later in the morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. He could feel the weight of someone's head on his chest, but he was quite certain that it was only Hikosu. He could feel her very faintly in his mind…but something was wrong. She was scared…but that might have something to do with the dreams she had been suffering from.

"It was a dream," he told himself firmly, not daring to believe what he had witnessed was real. He thought that Hikosu was sleeping with him in the cupboard. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me that Hikosu and I were going to a school for wizards and witches. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, **Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."

He sat up with Hikosu still cradled in his arms and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Harry gently set the sleeping girl down, not noticing that there was a strange person in the room let alone a jaguar. He was so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.

"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl –"

"Pay him," Hagridi grunted into the sofa.

"What?"

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing **but** pockets – bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags…finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

"Knuts?"

"The little bronze ones."

Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched as he finally noticed Arista and her jaguar guardian crouched next to Hikosu.

"Sorry, though you'd might want to see to that. Since you're finally awake I have to take Hikosu, now." Arista commented as she picked the girl up. She was still shivering and the thin layer of sweat was still there, but now a raging fever had taken its place on her forehead. Harry couldn't help but worry as his emerald eyes raked over her form.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll take good care of her." She said, cradling the girl to her chest. Harry, however, couldn't let her go without saying goodbye so he quickly went up to Arista and wiped the light sheen of sweat away from Hikosu's forehead with his sleeve. Then, he gently kissed her on the forehead. Twas tradition for if one of them would leave then they would kiss each other on the forehead. Harry, though, liked to do it for other reasons as well.

When he finally backed away, Arista gave him one last sad smile before mounting her jaguar and disappearing with a loud CRACK.

When she was gone Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.

"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter Londan an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. he had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.

"Um-Hagrid?"

"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.

"I haven't got any money and Hikosu doesn't either. And you heard Uncle Vernon last night…he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything? Hikosu has one fer her as well."

"But if their house was destroyed –"

"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold – an' I wouldn't say no the a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."

"Wizards have **banks**?"

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."

Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.

"**Goblins?"**

"Yeah – so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe – 'cept maybe Hogwarts. AS a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly.

"He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you – getting' things from Gringotts – knows he can trust me, see.

"Got everythin'? Come on, then."

Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.

"Flew," said Hagrid.

"**Flew**?"

"Yeah – but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter – er – speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.

Meanwhile, Arista had appeared at the gate of the Animalia world. Most scientists of the modern world thought that it lead to a parallel dimension…or maybe it did. Magic – the true Earthen Magic – was unpredictable and anything could happen when it came down to it.

Where was this place of true divine magic? Well, it is famous for being a large circle of stones and nobody knows where or why it was created. It is located in Wiltshire and is commonly known for being a burial ground.

Guessed it yet? Its name is the Life Gate, where it leads to the magical land just for the Animalia. It was created centuries ago by the Earthen magic, but the Muggles never knew it was there. They know the Life Gate by its Muggle term – Stonehenge.

Arista was still riding Epsis, who was carefully treading towards one of the proudly standing stones, and allowed her to press her hand in several intricate patterns on the stone. Then, in a clear voice, she stated who she was.

"I, Arista, the spotted leapord, an Animalia, hereby request to pass to the land of the Life Spring. I bring Epsis, the animal guide, and Hikosu, unnamed and un-phased Animalia." And with that the surface of the stone started to shimmer. Hikosu's eyes started to flutter as they literally stepped through the upright pillar of Stonehenge.

Once she, Epsis, and Hikosu were through the portal the pillar stopped shimmering, going back to its fluid stony surface. Arista looked down at the unconscious stormy grey eyed girl and sighed in worry. Epsis was sensing her mistress' worry and sped up, trotting through the wild foliage until they came upon a massive village filled with animals and people of all sorts. Several people waved to her, but the majority of them spared a worried glance at the girl in her arms.

There was one man sitting in the shadows with a cape over him. He was one of the few who were not born from the Earthen magic, but he was granted with the gift of the Animalia. Being so, he didn't possess the ability to shift, he needn't drink from the Animalia Life Spring, and he didn't have an animal guide, but he could talk to animals. He was an Animagi, however, and as such was still respected among them.

There are some who would confuse the power of an Animalia's shifting ability with that of an Animagi. Animagi are wizards and witches who use the magic of Transfiguration to change into one animal only, but if they weren't careful they could lose their sense of self. Animalia's shifting ability lets them shift into an animal, yes, but they can shift into any animal they chose until they reached the Animalia age of adulthood, twenty. Their most common one, and usually their first, form would be the one that represented their soul.

The man watched them with a sense of longing; he recognized the little girl in Arista's arms as Severus Snape's daughter. He had missed her growing up just as he missed his son's childhood. He felt bitter about it, but if he didn't drink from the Animalia Life Spring then he would have died. It was how he became an honorary Animalia, but then he couldn't leave until he was fully healed, which took thirteen years. He wasn't able to leave just yet. He would be able to see his son when he started his third year at Hogwarts.

The Earthen Magic was able to purge the dark magic from his system, but nothing comes without a price. He had the mark of the Animalia on his forehead, ironically in the same spot where Hikosu had her scar. Since he was an honorary Animalia the effect was severely diluted, but that just meant that he needed his glasses now more than ever.

The Earthen Magic had given him a message that he was to meet up with an unexpected person. They would have to join forces in order to stop the Dark Lord from rising again.

Yes…James Potter needed to join forces with Severus Snape.

As he watched the little girl he could help but rise and go to her. He watched with worry etched deep into his eyes as Cael, a white wolf animal guide who was always nice to him, take Hikosu from Arista's arms. He looked down at her with tears in his eyes, but he looked the happiest he had been in his entire life.

It was the animal guide's job to protect their Animalia. Some go their entire lives without finding them and, like stated before, there can be multiple animal guides to a single Animalia. Cael had waited a long time – forty seven years in fact – and he was still considered a young animal guide. The Blessing of the Earthen Magic extends their lives by quite a bit.

Cael gently held his Animalia mistress and looked at her hair with disgusted eyes. How could someone dye her beautiful purple hair such a disgraceful color? As he walked through the cloister doors to the Path of Life he developed a determined expression. All of her questions would be answered and he would protect her with his life.

Forty five minutes later he arrived at the Animalia Life Spring and waded into the liquid that filled the spring. Now, most people would think that the spring would be filled with water, right? But they would be wrong. The Life Spring was not filled with water, but a silvery liquid substance that looked a bit like mercury…but more translucent. The liquid was the excess magic that seeped from the Earth. Some say it would be like liquid-magic, but in reality it was the essence of the Earthen Magic itself.

The spring would never run dry as long as there was magic still left in the Earth and since it was going strong it created the most powerful barriers in the world. It was the purest magic aside from the magics of old – like love, protection, and sacrifice. It was even older than dark magic. It was the magic of **life**.

Cael's wolfen ears twitched and his wolfen tail swished back and forth nervously as he slowly placed his charge in the liquid magic like substance. Her head tilted back and the brown seeped away, leaving her with her natural hair color – violet. Her eyebrows faded back to their natural color, too. The wolf animal guardian wasn't any different than he was ten years ago. His age had stilled in time until he was to pledge his protective services to Hikosu. His white hair was still the same and he was still wearing the same outfit he was ten years ago, but it hardly mattered. He was going to be in his wolf form for most of the time anyway.

He gently scooped up a handful of the liquid magic and watched with hopeful eyes as the magic trickled down her throat. He repeated the process until Hikosu stopped shivering. Slowly she opened her eyes; Cael was shocked at her eye color. They were not the stormy grey eyes she had as a baby. Instead they were the vibrant silver that a powerful Animalia possessed. He smiled brightly, ecstatic that he was to serve such a powerful Animalia.

"Hikosu? Are you alright? Don't be afraid to speak; the Animalia mark is nullified at the Life Spring." Cael whispered as her eyes darted around. Slowly they wandered towards him and widened. She must have been surprised because of his ears.

"W-who are you?" she asked, eyes widening drastically. She had spoken for the first time! Her voice was hoarse from years of disuse, but Cael didn't care. Slowly he lowered her into the water so that she was floating in his arms.

"I am Cael, your protector and animal guide. I have been waiting a long time to meet you, Hikosu." The white haired wolfen male whispered, hugging the stunned girl. Slowly she hugged back, feeling loved for the first time from someone other than Harry. It felt nice.

"Cael…I like it. Where are we?" she asked, trying out her voice for the second time. She looked around in curiosity, but she couldn't remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was that she was sleeping on Harry's chest.

"We're in the Animalia Life Spring. I know you have a lot of questions, but we don't have much time if you want to meet up with your sou- I…uh…mean your friend, Harry." Cael stammered.

"What were you about to call him?" Hikosu asked, head curiously cocked to the side.

"I'll explain when you're older." Cael promised as he chuckled nervously. The silver eyed girl stared at him for a few moments before letting the subject drop.

"Alright, how can we meet up with Harry." She had begun feeling empty without him. He had been there her entire life and now that he wasn't…she was missing him horribly.

"We can meet up with Harry after you fill a few of these vials small with the Life Spring magic. Now that you've drunk from the Life Spring you should be alright, but you need to drink one vial every day for the next three years so that your magic doesn't build up like it did before. You were cut off from the life spring for so long you would have died without drinking." The wolfen male explained as they paddled back towards the shore of the Life Spring. Hikosu was surprised that her clothes were completely dry when they reached the shore, but she was even more surprised that Cael kneeled before her.

"I, Cael, promise to protect and guide you as your animal guide. Do you accept my oath?" Cael asked, staring into her bright silver eyes. Tears sprang forward as she gasped in awe. She nodded her head and a soft light surrounded them both.

_**Now, little one, we can read each other's thoughts. I thank you for accepting my oath for it is my dream to become the best animal guide I can be.**_ Cael said as he morphed into a giant white wolf. Hikosu let out a little squeak as she realized it was the same wolf who had been watching her for the past few years.

"It was **you**!" she exclaimed as she flung her arms around Cael's neck.

_**Yes, little one. It was me. I couldn't reveal myself to you until the time was right and for that I apologize. Now, what do you say we meet up with your friend?**_ Cael snorted as he crouched down, jerking his head as if giving her permission to get on his back. She did so, feeling the slightest bit awkward that she was riding on the back of a wolf. She emerged from the Life Spring to the Animalia village feeling refreshed amidst the cheers of her people and then, as Arista came forward to grab hold of her arm, all four of them slipped through the portal into Stonehenge.

Then, all four of them were gone with a loud CRACK.

Meanwhile, as Harry was still interrogating Hagrid about magic and Gringotts.

"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.

"Spells – enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way – Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."

Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the **Daily Prophit**. He was still feeling the effects of being away from Hikosu – he felt restless and worried for her. He wanted to be back by her side so that he would stop feeling like that, heck, he didn't even understand what he was feeling! He felt…empty.

Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.

"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore for Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."

"But what does a Ministry of Magic **do**?"

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizard up an' down the country. Especially Animalia 'cause they're almost pure magic in a human form."

"Why?"

"**Why**? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems and they'd most likely enslave the Animalia for their…er…zoos. Nah, we're best left alone." At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. It was a while since they had left the island – Harry didn't know how much time had passed – and Hagrid folded his newspaper. They clambered up the stone steps to the street.

Passerby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Harid twice as tall as anone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"

"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are **dragons** at Gringotts?"

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"You'd **like** one?"

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid – here we go."

They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand Muggle money, as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets. People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.

"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.

"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_Of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

**Uniform**

First-year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags.

**Course Books**

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Tremble

**Other Equipment**

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.

"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.

Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.

"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.

Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. they passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.

"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place…and here's Arista and Hikosu, now!" the giant exclaimed as he saw four people walking closer to them.

"Please forgive Epsis. She's shy around strangers." Arista said, motioning towards the woman to her right. Hikosu, however, didn't hold back from pouncing on her best friend.

_**Harry! I missed you! **_She exclaimed while hugging him around the waist. He laughed out loud, extremely relieved to see her again.

"Your hair is purple! I love it… and your eyes!" he gasped as he saw that they were now silver. He hugged her tighter and a feeling of wholeness bathed their bodies. Arista, Cael, and Epsis gave them a knowing look, but the two of them were ignorant. After the two separated, Arista apologized and left after she explained that she and Epsis needed to do something for Dumbledore.

They turned to the pub – it was a tiny, grubby-looking place. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he, Hikosu, Hagrid, and Cael, as the silver eyed girl introduced him as such, could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid and Cael had steered them inside.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry, but they turned their heads when they caught Hikosu's purple hair. Cael instinctive moved closer and glared at anyone and everyone who looked her way. One of the women was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.

The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom. I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle. Cael rested his smaller hands on Hikosu's shoulders as he stood behind her, tail wagging in irritation as witches and wizards continued to stare at Hikosu's purple hair.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at both children, "is this – can this be -?" the Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter and Hikosu Snape…and an animal guide even! What an honor!" He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and Hikosu as he seized each of their hands in turn, tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, Miss Snape, welcome back." Both children didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at them. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming, but Cael was glaring.

_**Bloody mongrels need to keep their eyes to themselves. **_He said, making the silver eyed girl in front of him giggle. She relayed the message to Harry and he laughed as well, both of their spirits soaring.

Then…there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry and Hikosu found themselves shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, Miss Snape, can't believe I'm meeting you two at last."

"So proud, Miss Snape, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted to shake your hand – I'm all of a flutter."

"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."

"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."

"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"

Harry shook hands again and again, but Cael finally started growling at everyone who came close to Hikosu. They took the hint, but were in awe that they were in the presence of an Animalia and an animal guide. Poor Harry – Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching and he seemed afraid of the young Animalia.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Hikosu, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter, S-S-Snape," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand. He looked at Hikosu, but Cael growled low in his throat.

_**He smells evil. I don't trust him. **_Cael commented as he growled.

_**Really? I get this uncomfortable feeling around him, too. **_Hikosu commented back as she stepped back against him. Cael made her feel safe.

"C-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked, giving Hikosu a strange expression. He felt her uncomfortable emotions.

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrel, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-Potter, S-Snape?" He laughed nervously.

"You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-bok on vampires m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.

But the others would let Professor Quirrell keep Harry and Hikosu to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid and Cael managed to make himself heard over the babble.

_**I'm going to have to phase back. I can protect you better as a wolf than if I were a hybrid if you're in danger.**_ He whispered to the silver eyed girl as he phased into the great white wolf form. He kneeled down and whined, letting her know that he wanted her on his back.

_**Are you sure? Aren't I heavy, Cael?**_ Hikosu asked him but he let out a sort of bark of laughter.

_**Yes, I'm sure. And you're not heavy, little one. In fact, you're very light. **_He said and she sighed in defeat, mounting the oversized wolf. He whined again, making her look down at him.

_**Tell Harry that he's welcome to ride, too. I'm more than strong enough to carry his weight…for now that is. When he gets bigger then we might have problems. **_The wolf joked as Hikosu laughed, the little bell chiming.

_**Harry, Cael says you can ride, too.**_ She said, patting the area of the wolf behind her. He hesitated before getting on the wolf as well, wrapping his arms around the girl's waist.

"Must get on – lots ter buy. Come on, Cael." Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

Hagrid grinned at Harry.

"Told yeh, didn't I? told yeh you was famous. Same fer you, Hikosu. Even Professor Quirrel was tremblin' ter meet yeh – mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?"

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience…they say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag – never b een the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject – now, where's me umbrella?"

"Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming and Hikosu's mouth was open slightly. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting the bricks in the wall above the trash can.

"Three up…two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Cael." And the wolf did so.

Hagrid tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered – it wriggled – in the middle, a small hole appeared – it grw wider and wider – a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."

He grinned at both Harry and Hikosu's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He and Hikosu were turning their heads in every direction as they rode Cael up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. People were pointing to them as well, or more like the giant white wolf they were riding.

"Mummy! Mum, look! An animal guide! Which one of them do you think is an Animalia?" a child asked, tugging at his mother's robe.

Several people bowed to them, but neither Harry nor Hikosu knew why. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…."

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.

"Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand – fastest ever." There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry and Hikosu had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rols of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…

"Gringotts," said Hagrid.

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –

"Yeah, that's a goblin." Said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Animal guides must be in hybrid form when inside Gringotts." The goblin said while bowing. Harry and Hikosu looked at each other before shrugging and dismounting Cael. He then phased into his hybrid form, looking disgruntled at the goblin, who only shrugged.

The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed one last time as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

"Like I said, ye'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weight coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for one counter while Cael showed Hikosu to the one next to them. The one goblin was manning both counters at the moment.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."

"You have his key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid. While he was looking the goblin turned to the white haired wolf hybrid.

"Ah! Master animal guide. What can I do for you today?" the goblin cried, drawing the attention of several others. They began whispering, but Cael ignored them.

"We wish to draw money from Hikosu Snape's monetary account. I have her key here, sir." Cael said, pulling a small silver key from a pouch from around his neck.

"Of course, of course. Everything seems in order for the young Mistress Animalia." He said, barely glancing at the key. As he turned back to speak with Hagrid, Hikosu asked Cael a few questions.

_**Why did they seem so eager to meet with us, Cael? Surely it's not because I'm…'famous', is it? **_She asked him with a curious gleam in her eyes. The taller form sent a warm smile down at her and happily answered her question.

_**No…well sort of. Yes, you are famous, which makes people excited, but for you, little one, it is because you are an Animalia. There are less than a thousand left in the world and only about four hundred who actually leave the sanctuary of the Animalia Life Spring. Less than that live in England because of the Dark war that happened years ago. We, as animal guides, are naturally powerful, but you, little one, are a direct child of the Earthen Magic. Pure magic. People are drawn to you because of your power, but don't let that fool you. You will be able to tell friend from foe. **_The hybrid explained to the curious little girl in front of him.

_**So, because Animalia are powerful and rare I am respected? **_Hikosu clarified with a tilt to her head.

_**Well, Animalia are born with different levels of power. It is completely random, but, by some chance of fate, you are at the top of the totem pole. You can tell by the color of an Animalia's eyes. Silver is at the top, then Gold, Blue, and so on. Other magical creatures, like goblins, unicorns, and dragons, are also drawn to your power. It calms them…unlike your friend Harry. See? He's getting that stare from the goblin. **_Cael finished explaining as Hagrid began to empty his pockets in an attempt to find Harry's key.

He started emptying his pockets on the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblins' book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.

"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. It was almost identical to Hikosu's except for the fact it was golden whereas hers was silver. The goblin looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter her from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred thirteen."

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to all three vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he, Harry, Hikosu, and Cael followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked as he grabbed Hikosu's hand.

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Griphook held the door open for them. Harry and Hikosu, who had expected more marble, were surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whisteled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in – Hagrid with some difficulty – and they were off. It was slightly cramped so Cael had Hikosu sit on his lap, one arm of his wrapped protectively around her waist and her hand still encased in Harry's.

At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.

Both of the children's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but they kept their eyes wide o-en. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late – they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.

"I never know," Harry called to the others over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"

_**Cant…answer…going to be…sick…**_ Hikosu stuttered as she tried to hold in her small dinner from the previous day. The only thing she had eaten that day was…well…liquid magic.

_**Hold on, little one, the ride's almost over. **_Cael comforted, tightening his hold on her.

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He had pegged Hikosu's feeling on the dot. Hagrid did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door In the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry and Hikosu gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

"All yours," smiled Hagrid.

All Harry's – it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.

Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Hikosu's vault, then seven hundred and thirteen, please, and can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only," said Griphook. Once they reached Hikosu's vault they were surprised at the amount of money that was there.

"Professor Snape's been savin' money fer you fer ten years that accumulated. He has his own vault so dun worry 'bout that." Hagrid explained.

"I've been putting money in there for you as well, little one. It's not like I need it, eh? I can just hunt for food and such." Cael added. They gathered Hikosu's money as quickly as they did Harry's and soon they were going even deeper into the mine. They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hikosu let out a silent shriek for him to stop.

_**HARRY! What the – don't do that! **_She exclaimed in his mind as Cael used his free arm to jerk him back into the cart. From that moment on Hagrid kept a hand on Harry's scruff on the back of his neck.

When they reached their destination an unusual sight awaited them. Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked. Hikosu looked at the goblin with a strange look on her face; the goblin smiled at her, but gave Harry a dark look.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.

Something really extraordinary had to be inside the top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least before Hikosu jabbed him in the side.

_**That's impolite, Harry! **_She scolded, silver eyes flashing playfully. He only laughed and continued looking around the vault. At first he thought it was empty. Then, he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Both of the children longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid. Hikosu nodded while Cael gave both children a reassuring pat on the back.

One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. The wolfen hybrid phased back into his natural form and both children mounted him at the nod of his head. Harry didn't know where to go first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life – more money than even Dudley ever had. He looked at the girl before him, grinning widely when he saw how excited she was. Her happiness floated through him like a warm breeze, and he intended to keep it that way.

"Might as well get yer uniforms." Said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry and Hikosu entered Madam Malkin's shop with Cael, feeling nervous.

Cael sat down on a free chair, earning awed looks from the patrons both inside and outside the store. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed in all mauve.

"Oh, dear. That looks quite uncomfortable." She said, pointing at Hikosu's neck as soon as she looked at them. She waved her wand and the strip of material covering Hikosu's Animalia mark came right off. She caught it in her hands, looking down at it with a nostalgic feeling.

"Want me to tie it on your wrist?" Harry asked and she nodded, smiling widely at him. He did as he promised, earning him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hogwarts, dears?" she asked, when Harry started to speak for them. She was looking at Hikosu with excitement shining clearly in her eyes. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped on a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length. Another assistant witch did the same for Hikosu.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?" he asked them.

"Yes," said Harry. The boy waited for an answer from the violet haired, silver eyed girl, but started fuming when she didn't answer.

"She's mute. She can't speak." Harry quickly replied for her, "But she'll be coming with us." The boy's expression quickly changed.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to loko at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley, as was Hikosu.

_**Gosh, what is his problem? He's such a horrible git! **_The silver eyed girl exclaimed as she glared at the blond boy.

"Have **you **got your own broom?" the boy went on, ignoring Hikosu now that he knew she couldn't talk.

"No," said harry.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry said again, wondering what on Earth Quidditch could be. He shared a look with the girl beside him, but she only shrug her shoulders.

"**I** do – Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.

"I say, look at that man! He looks like one of those rare animal guides! And that one there!" said the boy suddenly as he turned around. He nodded towards the window. Hagrid was standing outside with Cael and they were each holding two large ice cream cones to show they couldn't come in.

"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."

_**Don't tell him about Cael. Something tells me this boy will only question me about it…and I don't know much to begin with. If Arista were here…**_ Hikosu said, giving Harry a pleading look with her haunting silver eyes.

"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He liked the boy less and less every second.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of **savage** – lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly. Hikosu just glared at the blond boy.

"**Do** you?" said the boy with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," said shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.

"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were **our** kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."

"What about her?" he asked, glancing at Hikosu and looking at her Animalia marking with interest. Apparently he didn't know what it meant.

"She's an Animalia." Was all Harry said. The other boy's eyes widened as he gasped. Apparently the Animalia were as rare as Cael mentioned.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same; they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," said Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.

Both of the two children were rather quiet as they ate their ice cream Hagrid and Cael had bought them – chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts…well minus the nuts for Hikosu because she was allergic to them. Hey, not even Animalia were perfect.

"What's up?" said Hagrid. Cael was staring at the silver eyed girl intently.

"Nothing." Harry lied for the both of them. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote and Hikosu found a quill that wrote in any language you desired. When they left the shop, Harry said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know – not knowin' about Quidditch!"

"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in –"

"Yer not **from** a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh **were** – he's grown up knowin gyer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles – look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"So what **is** Quidditch?"

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like – like soccer in the Muggle world – everyone follows Quidditch – played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls – sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"Shool houses. There are four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but –"

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Vol-, sorry – You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?" Hikosu was listening in on the conversation and longed to take part of it, but because of the Animalia mark she couldn't.

_**Little one, do not be afraid to speak. Let me be your voice.**_ Cael suggested, looking down at the silver eyed girl. She smiled slightly and let her voice fill his head, letting him become her voice.

"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.

"Hikosu wants to know if he was he evil in school." Cael said, patting her shoulder. Harry felt a pang of jealousy run through him. Why didn't he ask him to speak for her?

"Oh-er-he was a bit shady in his day. Didn't go completely evil until he graduated, mind you." Was Hagrid's reply.

They bought Harry and Hikosu's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.

Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from _Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenge: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, Much More) _by Vindictus Viridian.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter ues magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

Hikosu, however, was looking through several books about magical creatures. Cael looked on proudly behind her; he was encouraging her to broaden her horizons as much as she could and meet new people, but he also knew it was hard for her because she was shy. Her eye settled on a book about rare magical creatures and picked it up, only to have it plucked out of her hands by her wolfen counterpart.

"Don't say anything, but I'll get this for you as an early birthday present for you. Tomorrow I have to go to the Life Spring and stock up on its magic for you. You only have enough for two more days." He softly said, ruffling her hair. She giggled soundlessly, but the sound of the bell on her wrist echoed through the store.

Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either – much to the silver eyed girl's amusement – ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they both got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages.

Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes for five Knuts a scoop. Hikosu was entranced with the phoenix feathers.

Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.

"Just yer wands left – oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present, Harry."

Harry felt himself go red.

"You don't have to –"

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at. An' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now – only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wands."

A magic wand…this was what Harry and Hikosu had been really looking forward to. The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Cael simply shifted into his wolf form and sat on the floor. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic. He looked over at Hikosu and smiled at her excited face, once again gripping her hand with his.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. Cael let out a snort – Hikosu interpreted it as a laugh when he was in his wolf form.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. Hikosu Snape." They weren't questions. "You have your mother's eyes, Harry. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silver eyes were a bit creepy, but they were nowhere near the level of intensity that Hikosu bestowed upon him.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard or witch, of course"

He then moved onto Hikosu.

"Ah, your father – Professor Snape – favored a wand made of ebony. Ten inches, stiff. Most excellent for excelling in the magic of potion brewing."

He moved closer to her and Cael fought the urge to move closer to her. Then, he turned back to Harry. Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. The emerald eyed boy could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.

_**What the hell is he doing?**_ Hikosu asked both of the ones who could hear her. Cael shook his head, but Harry didn't reply. Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.

"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands…well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…" he shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again…Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er – yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't **use** them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look.

"Well, now – Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er- well, I'm right-handed." Said Harry.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round his head. As he measured he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. Occasionally, we use something different…but it is very rare indeed. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Hikosu was laughing at him, bells jingling in the otherwise silent room, but Harry just sent her a weirded out look. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand an, feeling foolish, waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost as once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –"

Harry tried – but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Harry tried with the encouragement of the silver eyed girl beside him. He tried and tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well…how curious…how very curious…"

He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious…curious…"

"Sorry," said Harry, "But **what's **curious?"

Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."

Harry swallowed.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember…I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter…after all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."

Harry shivered, but Mr. Ollivander moved onto the girl next to him.

"Raise your wand hand, Miss Snape." He requested as she raised her right hand. Several minutes later the measuring was done with and he had a pile of wands for her to try.

"Willow, ten inches, flexible. Good for Defense, that is." And Hikosu waved the wand, but nothing happened. As soon as she did it was snatched from her hand. It appears that the same look was on Mr. Ollivander's face as he searched for the perfect wand for her.

She went through two yew wands, seven willow wands, one oak wand, three birch wands, and five holly wands before he stopped and stroked his chin in thought.

"You are an Animalia, are you not, Miss Snape? Then maybe…maybe I have the wand for you. It is an unusual mixture with rare properties, but I believe that it will choose you." Mr. Ollivander said, exiting into the back room. He returned a short time later with a beautiful wand.

"A perfect blend of Apple wood and Bonsai. It represents magic, youth, peace, and all that is good. Eleven inches as well. The core is most mysterious and rather hard to come by; a hair from the tail of a type of Chinese unicorn, known as a Ki-lin. Very, very good for transfiguration." Mr. Ollivander explained, gently handing it to the silver eyed girl.

Hikosu lifted the wand like she did all of the others and a warm feeling flooded her senses. Instead of sparks, ribbons of gold and silver light exploded from her wand, wrapping around them all. Harry felt proud; she had such a unique wand as did he.

Both paid seven gold Galleons for their wands, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry, Hagrid, Cael, and Hikosu made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road, but he grabbed at Hikosu's hand for reassurance. Cael morphed into his wolf form and put up his glamour, now looking like a normal dog. The three of them didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves." He said. He bought Harry and Hikosu a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Both of the children kept looking around. Everything was so different, so surreal somehow.

"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.

Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life – and yet – he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.

"Everyone thinks we're special," he said at last. "All of those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander…but we don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry – I mean, the night my mum died and dad disappeared."

Hagrid leaned across the table and Hikosu put her hand on his shoulder. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he placed his hand on hers. Behind Hagrid's beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.

"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. Hikosu is with yeh, she'll help yeh. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwards – I did – still do, 'smatter of fact." He said as Hikosu nodded.

Hagrid helped Harry and Hikosu onto the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.

"Yer tickets fer Hogwarts," he said. "first o' September – King's Cross – it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll kow where to find me…See yeh soon, Harry." Cael was able to enter the train with the excuse that he was Hikosu's guide dog.

The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.

_**Happy Birthday, Harry. **_Hikosu said as she handed him a small package. He tore it open and pulled out a plain piece of parchment.

_**It's enchanted so that the person with the other parchment can send messages to that one. I don't know how far away I can speak to you…so if we're separated into different houses I can always be with you. I hope you like it.**_ She said. Harry felt a warm feeling swelling inside him as he looked up at her blushing face. He grinned; his first present from Hikosu and it was brilliant.

"It's brilliant, 'Kosu. I love it." He whispered as he brought her into a hug. Now, they couldn't wait until September first.


	7. Journey Frm Platform 9 an three quarters

**I apologize for this being so late. I recently started a summer course at my college to gain extra credits in a shorter amount of time so I could have a lighter load in the fall. Anyway...**

**Disclaimer: Anything relating to Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. I only own Hikosu, Cael, Arista, her animal guide (for the life of me I can't remember her name. Sad, isnt it?), Wolfsbaine, and Gawain...although the last two were only mentioned.**

**Thanks to:**

**Elia950 - Lol, yeah. I'm like that, too. Don't worry, though. Cael is like an older brother/uncle figure.**

**Raine44354 - XD I'm glad you love the story. I'll be working on the next chapter on my breaks at school. **

**TwilightEclps - I had the hardest time deciding that...but you'll have to find out, later. **

**GinnyLover14 - You kind of contradicted yourself. "Like the idea behind the story...don't want to think up your own story." I AM thinking up my own story because after the next couple of chapters (I don't know how far I'm going) it will be different. I know that after this book it will be definately different.**

**Jim Red Hawk - I almost cried when I read your review. I've gotten a couple of flames for this story, but when I go back and read your review, your kind words inspire me. Thank you.**

**DearPrudenceGirlHasGoneMad22 - Glad you like it!**

**

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**Chapter Six**

**The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**

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Harry and Hikosu's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. Actually, it was the opposite of fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him – in fact, they didn't speak to him at all.

Hikosu still had to drink water from the Animalia Life Spring. The Dursleys no longer welcomed the female Animalia inside the house now that they knew what she was, but with Cael's help she was able to sleep in Harry's room at night. Cael slept on the floor of the room in his wolf form. Both Harry and Hikosu asked if he wanted to sleep on the cramped bed as well, and he would have been happy to do so, but there just simply wasn't enough space.

Dudley and his friends made fun of the silver eyed girl more now than ever. They regarded her as a freak, but she didn't care as long as she was with Harry and her animal guide. When they had gotten back, the next day was Hikosu's birthday. She was now eleven as well. Cael had carved a nice choker to cover her Animalia mark. It possessed a sort of protection magic and was carved out of jade. It had a symbol of the wolf on it, symbolizing his everlasting loyalty to her. She never took it off.

Harry had gotten her an outstanding gift as well. It was a small action figure of a phoenix, about as big as the palm of her hand. It was charmed to fly around the room and croon when she was there and in the presence of a muggle it was charmed to stay still. She loved it.

Although the Dursleys were half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty, they spat insults at Hikosu despite Cael's appearance. This was an improvement, sort of, but it did become a bit depressing after a while. The two of them trekked through it, however, and they were never happier.

Harry and Hikosu kept to the emerald eyed boy's room, with his new owl for company. Cael learned to voice his Animalia's thoughts…or the one's she was intending for Harry and the others to hear. It was kind of unnerving at first, but the bond was growing stronger between the wolf and the Animalia…so much that Cael was able to speak even though he was in his wolf form. The Earthen magic was strong in her.

As for Harry's owl, he decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in _A History of Magic._ Their school books were very interesting and they often found themselves lying in the bed and reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. Cael was often gone by midnight, hunting for himself and retrieving the next few days' worth of Life Spring water.

It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come into Harry's room to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before the two young magic users went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. It seemed like a day of haven for the two, well three, of them.

Harry, Hikosu, and Cael had formed the strongest of bonds. The wolf was kind to the wizarding boy and encouraged him to speak his mind. After all, wolf animal guardians were beings who prided themselves in communication since they often ran in packs until they found their Animalia. Some, sadly, never did.

Eventually the Earthen magic became so strong that Cael was also able to speak to Harry in his mind. That way their conversation never ceased and Harry felt like he wasn't being left out of something important anymore.

On the last day of August Harry thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. After drilling Cael to see whether or not he was able to get Hikosu to the station on time – earning a scoff from the wolf and a silent giggle from the silver eyed girl – he finally backed off. Harry cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

"Er-Uncle Vernon?" he queried.

Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.

"Er – I need to be King's Cross tomorrow to – to go to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would it be alright if you gave me a lift?"

Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.

"Thank you."

He was about to go back upstairs when the large beefy man actually spoke. He turned to look at Harry and was 'quite surprised' when he didn't see either Hikosu or Cael anywhere near Harry. His lip curled up into a sneer.

"Hikosu isn't going?" Uncle Vernon asked in a nasty voice, actually calling his best friend by her name for once.

"No, sir. She's just travelling with Cael so we're not crowded." Harry spoke truthfully, despite the older and fatter man's disbelieving look.

"Huh. Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" he asked, with a smirk.

Harry didn't say anything just in case he accidentally lashed out and caused his uncle to refuse his ride. He only rolled his eyes and grit his teeth together.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket, reading it over again. It didn't say where the destination was – only the number of the platform.

"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read_._

His aunt and uncle stared at him with amused expressions. They thought he was lying.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters." Harry supplied, waving the ticket in the air. He thought that if it was on the ticket than it was more than likely true.

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There **is no** platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on my ticket."

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings." Harry could faintly feel Hikosu's amusement through their bond. She was listening to the whole conversation through the open window.

_**Well, he certainly deserved it, the bloody git. Anyway, we've got an early morning, Harry. Be sure to get to bed early tonight. **_And he felt a wave of affection float towards him.

Harry couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to learn how to speak back to her and send his emotions as well.

Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes – he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. About an hour later he woke Hikosu, and she, in turn, woke Cael. The two of them got ready and left for the station; they were travelling the normal way for Animalia. Hikosu was going to ride on Cael's back. Another hour later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.

They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. His nasty grin faltered, however, when Hikosu meandered up with a dog by her side.

**Glad to see you could make it, Harry **she said before she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine – Platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" Hikosu only rolled her eyes and Cael let out a fierce growl at the pudgy man before she took a look around.

He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.

"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on Earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.

**Harry…Harry! Calm down. Let's go ask someone for directions or something. Just be calm and they won't think you're mad. **His silver eyed best friend said, giggling within his mind. He only rolled his eyes and gave her a little push before he looked around.

He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Of course, he was perfectly nice to the little mute girl, but seeing her eyes he started to edge away. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one.

In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic, but Cael nudged them back where platforms nine and ten were. He had a feeling someone would be along to help them. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.

Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him them something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten. Hikosu was starting to get a little fidgety as well, but Cael came forward to nudge her hand with his nose. She didn't have any of her things with her, but Cael explained that one of his friends had taken her things to Hogwarts and he had her robes. She had her wand hidden in one of her pockets.

At that moment a group of peple passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.

" – packed with Muggles, of course –"

_**Harry, did you hear that?**_Hikosu excitedly asked, looking around for the source of the voice.

Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him – and they had an **owl**.

Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them, lacing his fingers with Hikosu's as he followed them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying. Hikosu leaned forward to hear what they were saying, but Cael had obviously recognized them since he bounded forward to the mother.

"Aw, no who is this handsome fellow?" she asked, bending down to pet him on the head. He stayed very still and suddenly released the charm he had surrounded himself with, morphing back to the shape of a wolf. Her children gasped, backing away from the wolf.

The woman obviously understood and held a smile. There was an Animalia about.

"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go…"

"you're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

Suddenly, Cael bounded back towards the silent violet haired girl, dragging her back towards the others. She watched as what looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it – but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you **tell** I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone – but how had he done it?

Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier – he was almost there – and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.

There was nothing else for it. Finally, Cael managed to drag Harry towards the woman as well.

"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.

"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is – the thing is, we don't know how to –"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.

"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron. Your sister can go after you, with me, alright?"

"Er – okay," said Harry, disregarding the fact that she called Hikosu his sister.

He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.

He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into the barrier and then he'd be in trouble – leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run – the barrier was coming nearer and nearer – he wouldn't be able to stop – the cart was out of control – he was a foot away – he closed his eyes ready for the crash –

It didn't come…he kept on running…he opened his eyes.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."

_**Harry, wait for us.**_ He heard Hikosu exclaim as he got too far ahead of him. She bowed slightly as thanks to the woman before mounting Cael and letting him dash through the crowd, drawing the attention of almost everyone there.

Almost instantly everyone broke out into whispers of an Animalia. Once she got to where Harry was situated the hustle and bustle of the station went back to normal.

"Oh, **Neville**," Harry heard the old woman sigh.

A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.

"Give us a look, Lee, go on."

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

Harry and Cael, with his Animalia still mounted on top of him, pressed on through the crowd until they found an empty compartment near the end of the train. Harry put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot. Cael sat Hikosu on one of the seats and phased into his humanoid figure, handing her a bag with her travel things in it, including her uniform, and went to help Harry with his trunk. The two of them heaved the trunk onto the train, but they were offered more help by another source.

"Want a hand?" it was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.

"Yes, please," Harry panted.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.

"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.

"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you -?"

"He **is**," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.

"What?" said Harry.

"**Harry Potter**," chorused the twins.

"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."

The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door. The twins then noticed Hikosu in the compartment, eyes widening even further.

"Then you must be,"

"Yeah. Her name's Hikosu Snape." Harry finished for them.

"She says that is an Animalia and, therefore, mute. She cannot directly answer any of your questions." Cael translated for her.

"If you have any questions ask her and I shall respond for her." The male wolf said, sitting down next to the smiling girl.

"Fred? George? Are you there?"

"Coming, Mum."

With a last look at Harry, Hikosu, and Cael the twins hopped off the train.

Harry sat down opposite Cael and Hikosu, next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief. Hikosu was watching them, but she had also pulled out a book – _Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them_ – to read on the journey to their new school.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose." And the silver eyed girl silently giggled.

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but the older woman grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.

"**Mum** – geroff." He wiggled free.

"Aaah, had ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nose?" said one of the twins.

"Shut up," said Ron.

"Where's Percy?" said their mother.

"He's coming now."

The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter **P** on it.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves –"

"Oh, are you a **prefect**, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once-"

"Or twice –"

"A minute –"

"All summer –"

"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.

"Because he's a **prefect**," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term – send me an owl when you get there."

She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."

"It's **not funny**. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still ink where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"

Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.

"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"

"And that girl you thought was his sister?"

"Who?"

"**Harry Potter**!"

"**and Hikosu Snape! She's an ANIMALIA, mum!"**

Harry heard the little girl's voice. Hikosu flushed and Cael laughed when they mentioned the silver eyed Animalia.

"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see them, Mum, oh please…"

"You've already seen them, Ginny, and the poor children arent something you goggle at in a zoo. Are they really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there – like lightning."

"And he answered for Hikosu, mum. She's a mute – did you know?"

"And there's this guy who had **wolf** ears and a tail! He must be her animal guide!"

"Poor **dears** – no wonder they were alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."

"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like? What about Hikosu?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbid you to ask them, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though they need reminding of that on their first day at school."

"All right, keep your hair on."

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the tree boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."

"**George**!"

"Only joking, Mum."

The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, and then she fell back and waved.

Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to – but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. Hikosu was still quietly reading her book, but she had rested her head on Cael's shoulder.

Cael was like the older brother of the three. He was always looking out for them and encouraging the two of them to meet new people. All was silent for a few moments but Hikosu was startled when a great clamor sounded outside their door. The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat beside Harry. His eyes flickered to the man with the wolf ears and tail, but he bravely kept his attention on the black haired boy. "Everywhere else is full."

Sparing a glance at Cael, who nodded after staring at the new boy few moments and sniffing his scent, Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had the black mark on his nose.

"Hey, Ron."

The twins were back.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train – Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Harry," said the other twin, "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasly. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Hikosu…er…" he paused when he saw Cael staring at them. He sniffed the twins' scent, but smirked, relaying to the two his name.

"And, er, Cael. Nice to meet you." One of the twins stammered. Apparently they were a bit unnerved by the whole situation.

"Bye," said Harry and Ron. Cael nodded to them and voiced Hikosu's farewell as the twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron suddenly blurted out.

Harry nodded.

"And you – you're really **Snape's daughter**? And an **Animalia**?" he asked. Cael chuckled and the silver eyed girl silently giggled, looking up from her interesting book.

"I am here, am I not? Boy, I am an animal guide. What does that tell you? Use that head of yours for Harry could not possibly be an Animalia." The wolf-like male guffawed in good nature. Ron's face instantly turned red.

"Oh – well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes." Said Ron. "And have you really got – you know…"

He pointed at Harry's forehead.

Both Hikosu and Harry pulled back their bangs to show the matching lightning scars, but, of course, since Hikosu was not actually receiving the killing curse her scar was much lighter. If her skin was any lighter than it was then the scar would have blended right with it. Ron stared.

"So that's where You-Know_Who -?"

"Yes," said Harry, "but we can't remember it."

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well – I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else. Hikosu doesn't remember anything."

"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.

"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him. Although she was still reading her book she was half listening to Harry's conversation.

"Er – yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.

"I've heard of your family, boy. A Weasley, are you? Good family with strong beliefs." And Cael grinned. Ron was becoming more comfortable with the animal guide and he showed so by sinking into his seat.

"I heard you two went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

"Horrible – well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Howgarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left – Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out the window.

Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.

"…and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort –"

Ron gasped.

"What?" said Harry."

"**You said You-Know-Who's name!**" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people –"

"I'm not trying to be **brave** or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn…I bet," he added voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."

_**Harry…don't worry. I probably will have as much trouble learning magic as you will.**_ Hikosu comforted, looking up from her book.

"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.

Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor, followed quickly by the silver eyed girl. Cael stood in the doorway, keeping a watchful eye on his charge.

He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry – but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts. He even refused to let Hikosu pay for her candy, but she was a sly witch; she slipped some money back into Harry's pocket when he wasn't looking, exchanging a smirk with her protector.

"Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty. He handed some to Hikosu, who thanked him, and she went back to her book. She was almost finished with it. A couple of more pages and she was done, handing the book to Cael. He put it with the rest of their things and stole a Pumpkin Pasty for himself.

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on –"

"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "You know, with five of us."

"Hikosu says to have a pasty or she'll shove it in your mouth, wrapper and all." Cael sniggered, while Harry snorted in amusement.

"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, Hikosu, and Cael, eating their way through all of their pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).

"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not **really** frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him. Hikosu looked at the one in Harry's hand and then snatched one from the enormous pile. She turned it over in her hands before opening it.

The frog made her scream, but Cael only laughed as he snatched it from her hand and ate it for himself.

_**Pig.**_She laughed, turning the card over in her hand. Apparently the person on the card was an Animalia wizard for Cael gasped out loud in recognition.

_**Cael? Do you know this person? **_She asked, cocking her head to the side_._

_**I did. His name, which is on the card of course, was Selodin Wolfsbaine. He was a great man and my father was his animal guide. Voldemort murdered him after he found a cure for lycanthropy, but it was lost long ago. Nobody knows where it is. If you look on the back it has his information on it. **_

And she turned the card over it did, indeed, have Selodin Wolfsbaine's information on the back.

She read:

SELODIN WOLFSBAINE  
Animalia

One of the most famous of the Animalia, Wolfsbaine

Is the creator of the only known cure for lycanthropy.

Unfortunately, the cure was lost when he was murdered

By He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He possessed an animal

Guide, named Gawain, who took the guise of a wolf.

_**Wow. So your father's name is Gawain? **_Hikosu asked him. A sad look passed through Cael's eyes, but the look was gone as soon as it had come.

_**Was. His name was Gawain. He was murdered while protecting Master Wolfsbaine. They were both good men. Anyway, let's see which card Harry's got. **_Hikosu wanted to say more, but what could she say that would cheer him up?

"No, they're not real," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know – Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect – famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So **this** is Dumbledore!" said Harry. Hikosu jumped to her feet to look over Harry's shoulder. She smiled, approving of the cheerful face of the older man.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron.

"Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks –"

Harry turned his card over and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
Currently Headmaster of Hogwarts

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times,

Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the

Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the

Twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy

With his partner, Nicholas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore

Enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her…do you want it? You can start collecting."

Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.

"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."

"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed.

"**Weird!**"

Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Hikosu gave him her cards as well, only keeping those who had the title of Animalia.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they **mean** every flavor – you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George recons he had a booger-flavored one once."

Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."

They had a good time eating Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.

Hikosu tried a few as well but she, unfortunately, scored an earwax flavored bean. She also tasted lemon, chocolate, blueberry muffin, sugar, and they had a scare when one turned out to be hazelnut. Hikosu was allergic to all types of nuts, but just as soon as her throat began to swell Cael realized what was wrong. He instantly put his hand on her throat and muttered a spell, using a bit of healing magic only animal guides possessed. Her throat went back to normal, but the wolf-like male was forced to return to his wolf guise for the time being.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.

"Sorry," he said, "But have you seen a toad at all?"

When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up," said Harry.

"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…"

He left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." Hikosu laughed silently, motioning towards Cael and petting his head. Cael snorted and rested his head in her lap, telling her to stop calling him a pet.

The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"

He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn's hair's nearly poking out. Anyway –"

He had just raised his want when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

Cael raised his head and growled a warning to her, but she ignored it. The growl grew louder as his hackles raised and then, only then, did she stop in her tracks. The wolf animal guide sniffed her, concentrating on her hard, before he snorted. He nodded his head and laid it back down on Hikosu's lap.

"You're not allowed to have a dog." She said in a know-it-all voice.

"He's a wolf." Harry replied, slightly on edge.

"Well, still. You're not allowed to have one." She replied, glaring at the silver eyed girl.

Ron glared.

"Well she's allowed one when she's an Animalia and he's her animal guide." He retorted. She only stuck her nose into the air.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Nevelle's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of busy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er – all right."

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said this all very fast.

Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart, either. Hikosu had only memorized the one about magical creatures…and potions. Severus Snape was the Potions Master after all.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Harry Potter. She is Hikosu Snape and that's Cael, her animal guide." Said Harry.

"Are you two really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you two, of course, - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in_ Modern Magical History _and_ The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and_ Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. _Hikosu is in_ Powerful Magical Beings _and _Animalia of the New Age _and _Animalia: History of the Unknown. "_

"_Are we?" said Harry, feeling dazed. The silver eyed girl was looking a bit shocked as well._

_**I don't know…if I like her…that much. She's kind of annoying.**_ Hikosu mumbled to both Cael and Harry.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me" said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad…Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

_And she left, taking the toadless boy with her._

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back in his trunk. "Stupid spell – George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.

"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw **would** be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"

Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school. Hikosu was wondering the same thing, but already she had her heart set on anything that had to do with magical creatures.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the muggles – someone tried to rob a high security vault."

Harry stared and Hikosu's eyes widened.

"Really? What happened to them?"

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what'd odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens n case You-know-Who's behind it."

Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.

"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

_**What the bloody hell is quidditch?**_ Hikosu asked, raising her eyebrow. Cael snorted, but refrained from explaining since the redheaded male would no doubt explain.

"Er- I don't know any," Harry confessed. The silver eyed girl shook her head as well.

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world –" and he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finder points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter and Hikosu SNAPE are this compartment. So it's you two, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. Hikosu were merely glaring at the two of them. Cael was growling softly at the two boys who were standing behind the blond boy. Harry was also was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry and the large white wolf was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Drago Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys' have red hair, freckles, and more children then they can afford."

Hikosu let out a startled gasp and Cael started to growl even louder. His hackles were raised once again, showing his fangs to the three boys. The blond boy sneered at the wolf and narrowed his eyes at the girl sitting behind him.

_**Harry, I don't trust him. You and Hikosu should steer clear for him…at least for now.**_ Cael warned.

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said cooly.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you…but little Hikosu. You're a different story. You'll most likely end up in Slytherin with us since you're father is a Slytherin. I'll no doubt see you soon."

Both Harry and Ron stood up and tears welled in the silver eyed girl's eyes.

"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfory sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron. Cael stood and phased back to his humanoid form.

"You should leave, now." He calmly warned.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron – Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle – Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.

"What **has** been going on?" she said, looking at all the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No – I don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep."

And so he had.

"You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley while Cael comforted the crying girl. Harry couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. He was the one who always comforted her before.

"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up there to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "and you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you kow?"

Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.

He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see her sneakers underneath them. The three males turned their backs while Hikosu pulled her robes on.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and, along with a nervous Hikosu and a calm Cael who was now in wolf form once again, joined the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry hard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? 'Kosu?"

Hagrid's big hary face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. Once Hikosu had slipped Cael made her ride him to the boats. A couple of people laughed at her, pointing at her crimson face.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Hikosu and Cael.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.


	8. The Sorting Hat

**Hey guys! I'm back for now! My midterm is tomorrow =D and I have two weeks left in summer school. French is cool, my professor is kind of...odd yet fun to say the least.**

**Anything Harry Potter related belongs to JK Rowling! I only own Arista, Hikosu, Cael, and I still can't remember Arista's animal guide's name...**

**ADHD CrazyDayDreamer . Forever - Here is your update. Hope you like it.**

**Blackoutpanther - I'm glad you like my story so much!**

**Raine44354 - Aww, I was missed! That makes me uber happy.**

**DearPrudenceGirHasGoneMad22 - I'm glad you still like it. I'm having fun with this story.**

**PS I DO KNOW THAT SEVERUS SNAPE IS SERIOUSLY OUT OF CHARACTER. HE WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**The Sorting Hat**

* * *

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. He shared a look with the silver eyed girl standing next to him and secretly smiled when she took his hand in hers. Cael nodded his head to the woman, who nodded back with a small smile. The woman knew that there hadn't been an Animalia at Hogwarts for the past several hundred years.

Of course she knew others who had attended magical schools. Arista had attended school in America – Salem Academy for Magical Beings – so she knew that there were other schools that accepted Animalia. The young silver eyed girl before her held promise – that much she could see - but to think that she was actually Professor Snape's daughter.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursley's house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

Harry and Hikosu were still holding hands, but they were calming each other down. Cael was standing next to the silver eyed girl in his wolf form so that he wouldn't draw as much attention. His one worry was that Hikosu wouldn't be sorted into a house. The last Animalia who had gone to Hogwarts had not been sorted into a house, rather he had been given his own quarters with an attached room for his animal guide. His robes were black with white outlines and his tie was white and black. His name was Selodin Wolfsbaine and his animal guide was his father.

Hikosu was similar to Selodin in some ways, but the wolf animal guide was not sure if she would end up belonging to Hogwarts itself or one of the Houses.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I shall return when we are ready or you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed, but the silver eyed girl next to him gave him a reassuring smile. She squeezed the hand she was holding, letting the green eyed boy know that she was there for him even though she was feeling the same amount of nervousness.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

_**A test? What kind of test? Oh, bloody hell, now I'm nervous!**_ Hikosu quietly thought, most likely not meaning to send it to Harry. He heard what she was thinking and absentmindedly starting to rub circles on the back of her hand. He felt better knowing that they were both nervous, but then it was past the whole point. He was still nervous!

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. They were taking a test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet – what on Earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. That made him feel a little better and having his best friend by his side was calming him considerably. He just hoped he didn't make a fool of himself in front of her.

No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondered which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.

Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air – several people behind him screamed.

"What the -?"

He gasped and Hikosu would have screamed if she could. She latched onto him and buried her face into his side. The people around them had gasped as well. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years.

The silver eyed girl was shaking uncontrollably and neither Harry nor Cael could figure out what was going on until, like a light bulb turning on, they remembered that she was afraid of ghosts. The ghosts in question seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into the line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Hikosu directly behind him and Ron behind her, and they walked out the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Cael walked beside Hikosu with his head held high.

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in t he flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_."

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

_Maybe they had to try to get a rabbit out of it,_ Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing – noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too.

_**Don't be silly, Harry. I can…feel the magic coming off of it. The hat, I mean. **_Hikosu absentmindedly explained. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing:

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Thos patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_Or be you Animalia with friends all around,_

_Neither of the four houses you belong_

_You, the ones born from magic of the ground,_

_The ones where the purist magic makes you strong._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.

_**I don't like the sounds of that song. What did the hat mean by the fact that Animalia don't belong in any of the houses? **_The silver eyed girl next to Harry hesitantly asked. It was Harry this time that squeezed her hand to reassure her. Neither of them could say anything else because it was time to be Sorted.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes and sat down. A moment's pause –

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers cat-calling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. He could feel Hikosu's trembling hand in his and out of the corner of his eye he could see Cael nuzzling his nose into her robes, but she was still a trembling mess.

He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. The two of them had always been last to be chosen, not because they were no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked them.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, the two of them noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Shouted the hat. Ron groaned.

A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train? He felt his hand being squeezed; it seemed like all the two of them could do was comfort each other in their time of need.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his hame was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now.

"Moon"…, "Nott"…, "Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"…, then "Perks, Sally-Anne"…, and then at last –

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. Before he went to the hat, Hikosu pulled him back and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

_**Wherever we end up, Harry, you'll always be my best friend. **_She whispered in his mind. It was then that the bond they formed with their hands was finally broken.

"_Potter, _did she say?"

"_The_ Harry Potter?"

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…so where shall I put you?"

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, _Not Slytherin, not Slytherin. I want to prove to Hikosu that I'm better than those Slytherings. I don't want it. No. not Slytherin. Anything but Slytherin!_

"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that. No? Well, if you're sure – better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.

He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.

And now there were only four people left to be sorted. Hikosu was standing shock still beside Cael, who was dutifully standing with his head underneath her small hand. The white of his fur contrasted completely with the black of her robes. Harry watched in worry as the next person was called. What if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor? What did the sorting hat mean when she wouldn't be sorted into any houses?

"Thomas, Dean," a black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. Now Harry was confused. Wasn't the Sorting in alphabetical order? "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Now Hikosu was standing all alone in the middle of the Great Hall all by herself, with Cael by her side. Professor McGonagall had a small smile on her face as she rolled up her scroll.

"It is a proud day, indeed, when an Animalia becomes a student at Hogwarts. Snape, Hikosu, please be Sorted." The Transfiguration professor said, ushering the silver eyed girl to put the hat on her head. Cael sat by her side as the hat talked to her.

"Hm…you _are_ a unique one, aren't you. A thirst for knowledge that Ravenclaws would be proud of, but only for Potions and Care of Magical Creatures. Shame." The hat began to think aloud, although only she and Cael were able to hear it.

"Now…an extreme sense of loyalty that would make Hufflepuffs shine, but only towards those select few loved ones. Shame again." The voice of the Sorting Hat continued to think aloud in her head. It seemed like it was finding great things in her personality, but then with each great thing came a certain personality flaw.

"My, my. I see the cunning usually reserved for Slytherins, but only applied for pranks and games. A definite shame. You would have done well in Slytherin if only you used your cunning for a bit…darker purposes." He said and Hikosu's silver eyes darkened in anger. Like hell she would use her cunning for dark doings.

"My dear, you possess the bravery shown only in Gryffindors, but only when your loved ones are in danger…" the Sorting Hat let out a great sigh.

"I believe I am at an impasse. You possess strengths and weakness, but you are equal in each. There _is_ no house to put you in. You do not belong to just a house, but you belong to the magic that lives in Hogwart's very existence." He explained. Hikosu's eyes widened before the hat gave its answer.

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!" the great hat cried and a beaming smile spread across the Transfiguration professor's face. She swiftly took the hat from Hikosu's head and the entire hall went silent.

The older woman told the silver eyed girl to stand, even though said girl was as confused as hell, and had her face the school.

"She belongs to none but the school. She, like the ones before her, has no particular house to where she belongs. Her magic is pure so the school of Hogwarts is her House." She said, placing a hand on her shoulder. The confused girl looked up at the teacher and the woman motioned for her to follow her out the door to the side. Cael followed the two of them out the door and once they were gone the whispers started up again.

The green eyed boy looked troubled as the professor led his best friend away. If she didn't belong to a house then where would she eat? Where would she sleep? He was worried, but he supposed there was nothing he could do about it for now. He looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I must say that it is an honor to have an Animalia at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank You!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he – a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertaintly.

"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.

"Can't you –?"

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you – you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would _prefer_ you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy –" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

"_Nearly_ Headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going al all the way he wanted.

"Like _this_," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So-new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us with the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

The others laughed.

"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I _do_ hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult –"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing –").

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes – and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing."

The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off with the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look – a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape, Hikosu's father. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to – everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. He didn't really like the feeling. If anything, the dark teacher had a light hearted look in his eye – as if he finally regained something he had lost for a very long time. The green eyed boy supposed it was true; he had been robbed of Hikosu for twelve years. He had never had the chance to raise her or teach her how to talk…to explain any of this magic stuff to her…or anything.

No, Harry decided that Professor Snape wasn't really a bad person. Perhaps it was just his way of dealing with the loss of his daughter. Suddenly, Professor Snape bid the rest of the table goodnight and stood, hurrying out of the same side door that the Transfiguration professor led Hikosu and Cael out of.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dubledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.

"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixated.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our head could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped the loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindore first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves – show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it – Neville needed a leg up – and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase – they were obviously in one of the towers – they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get _off_, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."

Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.

Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully – and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it – then Malfoy turned to the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold – there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.

He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke the next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.

Meanwhile, while Harry was eating dinner, up in one of the highest towers of the castle, sat Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagall, who Hikosu found out was the Deputy Headmistress as well, led her there in place of going to dinner. Perhaps they were going to explain what happens when they weren't in a certain house? She hoped so because the silver eyed girl was seriously confused.

The dark haired woman waved her wand and conjured three chairs, one was obviously for Cael since he had phased from wolf form to his hybrid form. He sat down in the chair and scooted it so that it was closer to his charge.

The Transfiguration professor also conjured up some sandwiches for them to eat while they were waiting for someone. About twenty minutes later a man dressed in black robes, had greasy-looking black hair, and a dark persona entered the office.

"H-Hikosu?" he asked, voice very quiet. Said girl's eyes widened dramatically before she stood, walking toward the one who said her name. He stilled, letting the silver eyed girl approach him. A flash of recognition entered her eyes as he pulled out half of a necklace…half of a broken locket to be precise.

"Hikosu…my little one." The man said.

"Severus, now is not the time. We must wait for Dumbledore so we can explain the rules of her house to her." The woman explained from where she was standing.

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do concerning my daughter, Minerva!" he snapped, gaze instantly softening when he turned back to his daughter. Her eyes were wide, but it was because she had just realized that the missing piece of her locket was hanging from around the stranger's throat.

_**Papa?**_ Hikosu asked with a quiet voice, coming to stand in front of the dark man. He kneeled in front of the girl and connected their locket. It was a perfect fit. He was a skilled mind reader, so he was able to hear the small voice projected from his daughter's mind.

"Yes, my dear." Severus Snape whispered, drawing her in for a hug. She didn't hesitate and launched herself into her father's arms. Behind them Cael was sitting quietly in his chair with a soft smile on his face while Professor McGonagall was openmouthed at Severus' odd behavior. Perhaps it was the beginning of change…or maybe his true personality was covered up by the anguish he felt when his daughter was missing and he lashed out at his students to release his emotions?

Severus picked up his little girl and sat in the third chair with his daughter in his lap. She was sitting with her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his robes; he had his chin and face buried in her hair and his arms were wrapped securely around her tiny waist.

_**Papa?**_ she asked quietly.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he responded, just as quietly.

_**Do you hate me? Is that why I had to live with Harry?**_ at this question Severus stiffened considerably. His daughter thought he hated him? His heart gave a mighty wrench in his chest and tears came to his eyes. The Potions Master couldn't remember a time when he had been so emotional…except at Lily's funeral. Two tears ran down his pale cheeks as he pulled his daughter back to look her in the eyes.

"Hikosu. I want you to know that I could **never** hate you. I love you…with all my heart." It was true. He loved his little girl with everything he had. She was the only thing he had left. The silver eyed girl smiled widely and buried her face back into his black robes. Not another moment passed before the door to the office opened again, this time revealing the aged form of the Headmaster.

"Aah, Miss Snape. It really is a shame that Arista isn't here to see you as a fine young lady." The headmaster said.

"I will be short and to the point, because I'm fairly sure that Miss Snape, here, is a tad bit tired." And to add evidence to his claim the silver eyed girl tried to stifle a yawn around her hand. Her father chuckled and rearranged her over his lap so that she was sitting across it.

"Miss Snape. Since you have been not been sorted into either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw – but Hogwarts itself – you have free choice on where to eat and sleep. Once you have chosen, however, you will not be able to change your decision for the rest of the term. Then, you may choose again the next term. You are unable, however, to participate in any Quidditch games. Professor McGonagall will hand you your timetable tomorrow and Cael will be given free reign of the castle as well as any new animal guides you may acquire." The Headmaster explained to the tired girl.

"Miss Snape, do you have any particular house in mind at the moment?" McGonagall asked with a small smile.

_**I…do you mind if I eat with Gryffindor? **_she quietly asked, looking up at her father. He looked down at her and shook his head. He knew that she was a little apprehensive because he was the head of Slytherin House, but whatever she wanted was fine with him.

"Whatever you want, little one." He said, kissing her on the forehead.

_**Papa? Can I… **_she hesitated. She looked at him with beseeching eyes, as if she was looking for something in his dark gaze.

"Yes? What is it, Hikosu?" he asked, prompting her to speak.

_**Can I sleep with you? **_she asked, blushing and looking down. It was quiet in the room, but when she dared look for a peek she didn't see hate or disgust in his gaze. He was smiling warmly at her, nodding his head as he looked at the Headmaster.

"Albus? Can she share my quarters? For this term at least?" he asked. The two of them had been separated for twelve years, he didn't want to be separated from her for any given length of time ever again.

"I don't see why not. You are her father, after all, and it would be cruel to have the two of you separated after so long." The Headmaster said after a small length of silence. And with that the four of them – McGonagall said she had to create their timetables – went to Severus' personal chambers down in the dungeons.

The Headmaster used his wand to enlarge Severus' personal quarters to include another room entirely. There were a total of four rooms. A sitting room, for them to do all of their school-related works, Severus' bedroom, Hikosu's bedroom – that included two beds in case Cael wanted to sleep in his hybrid form, and a potions lab.

"Have a good night Severus, Miss Snape." And with that he was gone. Severus kept his hands on his daughter's shoulders, only leaving when she needed to change into her night clothes.

_**Goodnight, Papa**_. She whispered, giving him a peck on the cheek. Soon after they were both lying in bed. Cael was sleeping on the foot of Hikosu's bed, but none of the three magical beings could sleep. Finally, the silver eyed girl slipped from the bed and snuck into her father's room. She tiptoed as quietly as she could, but just when she reached her father's bed whisper of "Lumos." filled the air.

Light formed on the end of Severus' wand as he lifted the covers of his bed.

"Come here, little one." He softly said. Hikosu didn't need any more prodding and crawled into her father's bed. He whispered "Nox." And the light went out on the end of his wand. Hikosu snuggled up against her father's side. The Potions Master enjoyed watching his daughter fall into a deep sleep with a smile on his face. He draped an arm over her tiny waist and lent her his body heat…and for the first time in twelve years he slipped into a peaceful slumber.


	9. The Potion Master's Rare Smile

**Hey, guys! So sorry that it took me a long time to post this =( I was working on other things. **

**Anyway, thanks to:**

**DearPrudenceGirlHasGoneMad22 - Um...I'm not quite sure. I do know that it'll be a lot lighter than the dark stuff that was in there originally.**

**- Once again, thanks for pointing that out. =D**

**TwilightEclps - Aww, I know. I loved writing that.**

**TheBeginingsEnd - Me too! I live for fluff moments.**

**Raine44354 - Awww, it feels good to be missed and I know what you're talking about. Now you're making me want to see the movie lol**

**Crazy-obsessed-potter-chick - Of course I'll continue the story!**

**Lania Tesle - I'm glad you like my story. I've worked hard on it.**

**Dreamer - Of course I'd write back. I'm not heartless lol. Anyway, I had a dream like that, too, except for some reason the fifth house's common room was in a secret comparment in the owlry...for some reason...lol**

**And special thanks to my beta!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**The Potion Master's Rare Smile**

* * *

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with red hair."

"Wearring the glasses?"

"Is she really Snape's daughter?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Can you see her animal guide?"

"Did you see their scars?"

"Look at the color of her hair and eyes!"

Whispers followed both Harry and Hikosu the moment he left his dormitory and she left Severus' quarters the next day. Severus nearly had a serious heart attack due to worry when he woke to Hikosu trembling violently in his arms. He rose in a panic, trying to calm her down, and only calmed down himself when Cael handed him the vial full of water from the Animalia Life Spring.

When the wolf animal guide fully explained the situation to the Potions Master, he was furious. How dare the Dursleys ignore the letter that outlined his daughter's needs! If she had died then he would have murdered those pathetic muggles in cold blood, consequences be damned!

Severus smiled softly behind his hand when he remembered the paternal feeling that squeezed his chest when he calmly woke his trembling daughter and gently coaxed her into drinking the water from the Animalia Life Spring. He helped her as she blearily dressed into her new uniform and robes – now accented in the purist of whites and would never stain thanks to a healing/cleaning charm the Potions Master cast upon them.

Peaople stared at little Hikosu as Professor Snape walked her to the Gryffindor table, sneering at the Gryffindors behind her back. It was only the beginning, however, of a unique and uncomfortable day. People were lining up outside their classrooms and standing on tiptoe to get a good look at them. They also doubled back to pass them in the hallways, staring and whispering. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes. At least he shared classes with Hikosu – if it weren't for her calming aura, the green eyed wizard didn't know if he could take the whispering.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts. Wide, sweeping ones, narrow, rickety ones, some that led somewhere different on Fridays and some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump.

Then, after all that, there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but sold walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk despite the odd looks and giggles Hikosu kept sending him.

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Hikosu was a mess when one of them came near, trying to make peace. She would either hide behind Harry, or use Cael's animal form as a shield. Fortunately he was allowed in the classrooms – as long as he stayed out of the way – or else he would have thrown a fit. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him and were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from underneath your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "Got Your Conk!" If Hikosu possessed a voice, she would be hoarse by the many times she had screamed. By the fourth time Peeves scored the silver eyed girl, she burst out in tears.

Both Harry and Cael comforted her best they could, Cael glaring at the offending poltergeist for upsetting his charge. When the animal guide was protective, he was really protective. He would morph into his humanoid form, ears pinned back and teeth bared as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was nothing he could do against a ghost, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be threatening when he wanted to be. The older girls throughout the castle were jealous of the little silver eyed Animalia.

Although Peeves was bad, even worse than him, if that was even possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning…and he just hated Hikosu because of Cael. He was a 'filthy animal' according to him. Anyway, Filch found Harry and Ron trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamplike eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry and Hikosu quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words. Poor Hikosu found out during her first lesson that since she was unable to speak she would have to go to either the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, or her father to study nonverbal magic. It was a lot harder than it seemed and tired the young one out immensely, but she trooped on.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. Once he righted himself and got to Hikosu's name, he toppled out of sight again. It was quite humorous.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." She said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. Oh, and Miss Snape? Would you mind if your animal guide would be seated in the front by my desk so I can make sure he won't distract you during your studies?" at this Hikosu shook her head with a smile. Cael whined playfully, but sulked up towards the front.

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to, except for Hikosu who favored Care of Magical Creatures, was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

Harry was relieved that he and Hikosu weren't miles behind everyone else, though, in his opinion, Hikosu had it much harder than he did. He couldn't fathom having to learn the spells the nonverbal way. He supposed it was just saying the spell in his head and then willing the magic to work, or something along those lines.

Anyway, lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like them, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.

Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favored them – we'll be able to see if it's true…but he seems a tad bit nicer lately. Maybe it's 'cause of Hikosu." He said. Harry shrugged but grinned when Hikosu was escorted to their table by the Potions Master himself.

_**Have a nice breakfast, Papa. **_She said to him, giving him a hug around the waist. Severus uncharacteristically smiled for everyone to see; he couldn't help but be happy around his daughter. He bent down and kissed her forehead, ignoring the strange looks he drew as he made his way to the high breakfast table.

"Morning, Hikosu." Harry said, giving her a side hug as she sat down. She smiled widely and nodded to the boys, scooting over so that the humanoid Cael could sit and eat.

"You know, I wish McGonagall favored us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.

Just then, the mail arrived. Harry and Hikosu had gotten used to this by now, but it had given them a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open, with Hikosu looking over his shoulder, and read it. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

**Dear Harry an' Hikosu,**

**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.**

**Hagrid.**

Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled **yes, please, see you later** on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.

It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.

At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry – he _hated_ him.

But…he had to go to a meeting after the class and before he went to Hagrid's hut…so maybe he didn't hate Harry as much as he let on.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name. His eyes flickered to his daughter, who was sitting next to Harry, and smiled. He winked at her before he turned to the boy.

_**Don't worry about Papa, Harry. He doesn't mean anything. Just remember that he's teasing. **_Hikosu commented, but the green eyed boy wasn't too sure about that.

"Ah, yes," Professor Snape said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new - _celebrity_."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." He actually cracked a smile as he looked towards his daughter and the green eyed child next to her. By the awed look on her face he could tell that she would become a fairly decent potion brewer in her own right.

More silence followed his little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

_**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what?**_ Harry panicked, somehow sending his thought to Hikosu. She looked over to him, shocked, and then smiled widely. Severus saw her smile and smirked to himself. It wasn't that he didn't like Harry, on the contrary – he was Lily's son – he just wanted to make sure that he would take care of his little girl.

Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"I don't know, sir," said Harry.

Severus' lips curled into a smirk while his eyes twinkled. The first years looked at him with bewilderment since they had heard of his cruelness…but this man seemed like a playful bat or something.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything." He said, and then he winked at Harry. Harry looked back with his mouth wide open. The school's harshest teacher winked at **him** – a Gryffindor!

Severus ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter. Snape gave the trio a glare, which calmed them down, but gave his daughter a small smirk.

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter? Or did you just not retain the information, no matter how much you read it?" Severus joked, making his daughter giggle. The charm on her wrist jingled and Harry caught the sparkle in her eye.

_**Harry…Papa's just playing with you. Don't sweat it.**_ She commented, earning a mental snort from Cael as well. Poor guy had to sit next to Severus' desk, which was at the very front of the room…but he wasn't allowed to move or anything because of the potion ingredients.

Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes, except now he could detect the hint of a smile in their deep orbs. Harry **had** looked through the books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?_

Severus was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeion ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly, smiling back at the professor. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus' eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased. He wasn't angry at Harry, he was angry at the fact that the other students thought it was alright to laugh in his classroom.

"Sit down." He snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" he glare at the rest of the class. Hikosu had started writing it down as soon as her father started talking and she had told Harry to do the same. They, along with Hermione, were the only two who had written the notes before the rest of the class got their writing equipment out.

"Oh…and five points to Gryffindor…for being brave enough to stand up to a Professor who was being verbally abusive, Potter." The Potions Master quietly said as he passed the green eyed boy. Hikosu smiled up at her father as he passed. He, in return, gave her his rare smile – it was a smile only reserved for his daughter.

Things, however, didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. It wasn't due to the fact that he 'hated' the ones outlined in red; it was due to the fact that they were frustrating him with their mistakes. Severus put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, Harry, and Hikosu.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus' cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

A sharp tug on Harry's sleeve brought his attention to the silent girl next to him. She was his partner and the two of them had, unfortunately, been seated next to Neville. Upon seeing that Hikosu's arm was starting to sprout ugly boils, he quickly gained the attention of the professor.

"Professor!" he exclaimed, gently holding up the silver eyed girl's injured arm. Severus was by them in a flash, as was Cael, and gently took hold of his daughter's injured arm.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Severus, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him to the hospital wing," Severus spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Ron and Hermione, who had been on Neville's other side.

"You – Weasley, Granger – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you?" this was so unfair that both of them opened their mouths to argue, but since they hadn't lost any house points they thought better of it.

Cael gently used some of his particular animal guide magic on his charge, dulling the pain and stopping the boils from spreading, as Severus collected their potions. As each group was finished, they were allowed to leave and, eventually, everyone save Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Hikosu were left.

"Potter, follow me. I want to have a word with you. Granger, Weasley, you are dismissed." And with that he led Harry, Hikosu, and Cael to his office in the next room. Cael led the silver eyed Animalia over to a comfortable wingback in the corner, gently rolling the sleeve to her uniform up so that he could work more of his magic.

"Be still, little one. It won't hurt a bit, I promise." He said, closing his eyes and concentrating. One hand hovered over the injured arm as both Harry and Severus stood behind the two. As the wolf male opened his eyes again, they seemed to glow in the dark room. His hand started to glow as well, reversing the effects of the potion that landed on Hikosu's arm. Soon, the arm looked as good as new.

_**Thanks, Cael. Love you. **_She said, giving her protector a kiss on the cheek. He nodded, suddenly shifting to his animal form.

_**Ah, yes, I may have forgotten to mention that healing takes a bit out of me, I'm afraid. And before you ask, Harry, I am tied to Lady Hikosu by our magic source, the Earthen Magic. Therefore, I am able to use my magic and transfer it to her in order to heal. When she gets older she will be able to do the same for me and for any other animal guide she may acquire. **_The wise animal guide said. Harry closed his mouth and his cheeks flushed a bit. Instead of replying to the animal guide's comment, the green eyed boy turned to face the Potions Master once again.

"You wished to speak with me, Professor?" he asked, nervously fiddling with the sleeve of his robe. Severus turned his attention from his daughter to that of the boy standing next to him.

"Ah, yes." He murmured, motioning for the boy to follow him out of the hearing distance of his daughter.

"I wanted to warn you, boy. My daughter holds you in high regards. I can see that the two of you have already formed a deep bond, but listen well. If you so harm a hair or her head or even make her _think_ about crying…I will brew a potion so lethal that you'd wish you'd been hit by the most power Cruciatus Curse and slip it into your morning pumpkin juice. Don't think I won't, Potter." He warned, eyes like dark coals glimmering in the darkness of his study. He let the warning sink into Harry's brain before he gave the boy a ghost of a smile.

"But on much lighter terms…how would you feel about coming to live with me? Hikosu is my daughter and I will not have her living with those muggles you dare to call family any longer. The details are being worked out, but, if I'm right, the two of you can come live with me during the summer months when Hikosu turns thirteen, which is the turning point of an Animalia."

Harry's mouth dropped open again. He couldn't believe it. Severus Snape, the most feared professor at Hogwarts, was offering to give him a place to live.

"I must admit that my home isn't the brightest or the most inviting, but it has four walls and a roof. Plus…I live near your mother's old home." The older man trailed off as he remembered the small and comfortable home he knew as the Evans household.

"No! It…it seems great, Professor. I'd be happy to live with you and Hikosu…anything to get away from the Dursleys…" he muttered, earning a quiet chuckle from his professor.

As Harry, Hikosu, Cael's wolf form, Ron and Hermione – who had waited for them – climbed the steps out of the dungeon about ten minutes later, the green eyed boy's mind was racing. He was conflicted; he wanted to live with Hikosu, but could he even risk living with someone who seemed to hate him? Or did Severus just enjoy picking on him?

"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always picking on Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "_Back_, Fang, _back_."

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Cael, still in his wolf form, settled down in front of the seat that Hikosu had chosen to sit at and she was busy laughing at Ron's misfortune. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

_**I'm just glad you don't do that to me, Cael.**_ The silver eyed girl chuckled in her mind.

_**I could if you wanted, little one.**_ And he grinned, well he grinned as much as he could in his wolf form. This earned another round of snickers from the female Animalia.

"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes, much to Hikosu's amusement.

Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norriss, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her – Filch puts her up to it." Hikosu wasn't too happy about that comment. She loved animals and had taken a liking to the Maine Coon.

Harry told Hagrid about Severus' lesson, and about the little talk they shared when Cael was fixing up Hikosu's arm. The other three males thought it was particularly funny, but the silver eyed girl blushed deeply throughout the story.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot – great with animals."

Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the _Daily Prophet._

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

Investigations continue into the break-in at

Gringots on 31 July, widely believed to be the

work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing

had been taken. The vault that was searched had in

fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so

keep your noses out if you know what's good

for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.

"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" Hikosu gave a silent gasp, eyes widening as Cael rested his head on her lap in order to keep her calm.

There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again, letting the silver eyed girl read over his shoulder. _The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. _Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Hikosu had said that she would meet up with them later, something about going to talk with Professor Snape about something. Harry went back to his thoughts. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about the package that he didn't want to tell them?


	10. The Midnight Duel

**Here's the next chapter! **

**Thanks to:**

**TwilightEclps - Thanks for the review.**

**The readers son - Glad you like the story and thanks for your review!**

**Raine44354 - I know! I had to have him at least a little nicer to Harry since he's going to end up with Snape's daughter...or else she'd not like her father anymore...I like the idea of a nicer Snape anyway. =D**

**GinnyLover14 - Like I said to Raine, I wanted to make Snape a little nicer (not like fullblown personality change). I'm also slowly but surely changing Draco's personality...I'm thinking about making it a Harry/Hikosu/Draco triangle with Draco having unrequited love or something.**

**Ella-Riella - Aww, thanks!**

**TheBeginingsEnd - Thanks for the review!**

**

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Chapter Nine

**The Midnight Duel**

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Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Hikosu, and Cael by extension, thought differently. The silver eyed girl could see through the act – Draco Malfoy was an innocent boy who was hurt by the rejection Harry had shown him on their arrival at Hogwarts. He had been raised by muggle and half-blood haters, so how was he to know any better?

The female Animalia thought that next term she would sit at the Slytherin table and get to know the little blond haired 'annoyance' – as dubbed by her best friend.

Still, first-year Griffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so Harry didn't have to put up with Draco that much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday – and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

There was at least one major problem. Hikosu was afraid of heights.

"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." He said, lightly stroking Hikosu's hair as they sat in the library.

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

_**At least you're not afraid of heights, Harry. I don't want to learn…period.**_ The silver eyed girl sighed as she stretched out in the emerald eyed boy's lap.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

Draco certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick.

Cael had assured the silver eyed Animalia over and over again that it was perfectly normal not to like flying. Not everyone was cut out for it, but she **could** find flying fun when she rode some sort of magical animal.

Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.

Severus had done his best to reassure his daughter that she would only have to fly for the lesson and then, if she was still feeling down, he would teach her more about nonverbal magic. That had perked the young Animalia right up.

Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book – not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called_ Quidditch Through the Ages. _Hikosu had half a mind to tell Cael to bite her just to make her shut up, but, then again, she wasn't that cruel. Cael wouldn't have bitten her anyway.

Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everyone else was pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.

A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke. Harry felt a small twinge of jealousy when Hikosu leaned over Neville's shoulder in curiosity. She had taken an interest in magical items ever since they had gone to Diagon Alley.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained, a small blush dusting across his face. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh…" his face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "…you've forgotten something…"

The young Animalia let out a soundless giggle at the expression on Neville's face. Harry felt his stomach twinge again as his jealousy surfaced once again.

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

At three-thirty that after noon, Harry, Ron, Hikosu, Cael, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first fling lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school booms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew to high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles. Hikosu stood next to him; her broomstick didn't fare much better. There were scratches and scuffs all along the surface of the handle of the broom.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'UP!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. _**Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid,**_ thought Harry, sending the thought to the girl beside him. Her broom had twitched, as if sensing her nervousness. Of course, she did have to use nonverbal magic, so it was harder for her. There was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Draco he'd been doing it wrong for years, but Hikosu just shot them and exasperated glare.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." Said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle – twelve feet – twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and –

WHAM – a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

_**Bloody Hell! Please tell me that Neville's alright…he's okay, right?**_ Hikosu whispered, voice laced with horror. Her animal guide shook his head as he sat by her side.

_**I'm not sure, little one. Would you like me to accompany him to the Hospital Wing? I'll be able to tell you he's alright…**_ he wouldn't admit it, but the strong and tough Cael was worried about the Gryffindor. Hikosu nodded her head and the white wolf trotted to Madam Hooch's side. She was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy – it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. Hikosu gave him a disappointed look and, for a split second, she thought she saw him flinch, but it must have been a trick of the light. He was still laughing.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil. The Animalia would have said something if she could, but Cael had gone with Madam Hooch. She was forced to resort to placing her hand on Draco's shoulder and shaking her head.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought _you'd_ like fat little cry-babies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Draco, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry and Hikosu tightened her grip on Draco's shoulder. He sent her a look; it was like he was crossed between two different emotions, but the worse one took a hold of him.

Draco smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find – how about – up a tree?"

"Give it _here!_" Harry yelled, but Draco had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. Everyone gasped; he had grabbed Hikosu around the waist and pulled her onto the broomstick in front of him. She gave out a silent scream as they flew away; Draco hadn't been lying, he _could_ fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called,

"Come and get it, Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom, royally pissed off.

"_No!_" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move – you'll get us all into trouble."

"Oh, and you want him to torment Hikosu even more?" Harry replied, ignoring her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him – and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught – this was easy, this was _wonderful_. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.

He turned his broomstick sharply to face Draco in midair. He looked stunned, but Hikosu looked terrified.

None of the first years saw the glint of yellow eyes shining from within the forbidden forest. She had travelled far and wide in search for her Animalia and finally…his bond had pulled her towards Hogwarts. She had finally found her. She watched, hidden in the shadows as his anger grew – how dare that boy lay his hands upon his Mistress!

"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Draco, trying to sneer, but looking worried.

Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in his hands, and it shot forward towards Draco like a javelin. Draco only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfory," Harry called.

The same thought seemed to have struck Draco, but he glanced at the cowering form in front of him. Harry saw this, but didn't know what he was about to do.

"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.

Harry saw, and as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down – next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball – wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching – he stretched out his hand – a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.

While the group was distracted, Hikosu had been jarred when Draco threw the Remembrall. Before the blond wizard could react she had slipped off the broom – it was easy enough since she was riding sidesaddle. Nobody heard her terrified scream, but Draco's shout was enough to bring the attention back towards the air. He looked on, horrified, but he quickly began a dive to catch her.

"Hikosu!" Harry shouted, stumbling forward. Nobody knew any advanced magic that was able to help her. Harry and Ron ran forward to try to catch her, but none of the three boys were going to make it.

Suddenly, a great roar was heard through the area. A black and white blur streaked forward, changing shape as it did, before a tall woman yanked the still falling Animalia out of the air. She landed on the ground in a crouch with the silver eyed girl cradled safely in her arms.

"Hush now, little one. You are safe with me." the woman _purred_. It wasn't only that that caught everyone's attention. The woman had long inky black hair with white streaks, golden eyes, very pale skin, and spotted markings on her face, neck, and wrists. She was wearing a simple tunic and pants with brown shoes.

The most noticeable oddity about her was that she had white ears – rounded ears like a big wild cat – with black spots. A large, long, somewhat bushy tail swished behind her. It was white with black spots as well.

She was an animal guide.

_**Who…are you?**_ Hikosu asked, cocking her head to the side. She hoped that the woman – the animal guide – could understand her. The female animal guide simply stood and carried her over to a bench over to the side. Harry rushed towards them, but the woman glared at him, and at all of the other students.

She set Hikosu down on the bench and then phased into a white leopard – a snow leopard. She retained her golden eyes, but her body was beautiful, strong, and sleek.

_**I am called Fayen, My Lady. I am your servant, born to protect and serve you. I humbly request to become your animal guide.**_ The snow leopard bowed her head, waiting for the silver eyed girl's response.

_**I…um…**_the girl responded, clearly shocked.

_**Please, My Lady. I have travelled far to serve you.**_ Fayen pleaded, looking into the young girl's eyes. Hikosu sighed and smiled, placing her hand on the snow leopard's head.

_**I'm happy and humbled to call you my animal guide.**_ Hikosu said. It was then that she realized that the rest of the class was watching them. Fayen snarled at them, but the silver eyed girl just placed a hand on her large head. Harry, wanting to get to his best friend's side, edged past the great cat. Fayen, noticing that Hikosu wasn't doing anything, let him.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Both Harry and Hikosu turned towards the voice. His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. he got to his feet, trembling.

"_Never – _in all my time at Hogwarts –"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "-how _dare_ you – might have broken your neck –"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor – "

"Be quiet, Miss Patil –"

"But Malfoy –"

"That's _enough_, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now. Miss Snape…well, I'd better take you to your father after I take Potter to…" she trailed off, beckoning them forward. Fayen, who was larger than the normal snow leopard, crouched down so that her mistress could ride her.

Harry caught sight of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as they left, following in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. At least Hikosu would be able to stay – Draco's the one at fault with her. Harry wanted to say something to defend himself and his best friend, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. The snow leopard was pretty imposing, but at least Hikosu would be alright. Harry hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep? Better yet, would Snape still want him to live with him after Hikosu's second year?

Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to them. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her, Hikosu and the snow leopard beside him. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Wood? Thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?

But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.

"Follow me, everyone." Said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry and Hikosu.

"In here."

Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked, startling the silver eyed girl from her thoughts. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. The snow leopard growled at the receding form, huffing when he finally disappeared. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood – I've found you a Seeker." Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"

Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.

_**What's a Seeker, Harry?**_ The emerald eyed boy jumped when the feminine thought entered his mind. He turned to Hikosu, who had a look of curiosity on her pretty face, and shrugged. He didn't really know, either.

"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.

"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light – speedy – we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor – a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. _Flattened_ in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.

"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

Then she suddenly smiled.

"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."

Harry was silent as Professor McGonagall left him with Wood, leaving to lead Hikosu to Severus. The snow leopard was still uneasy, but if her mistress trusted these people then she would trust them as well.

_**They are good people, Fayen. Professor McGonagall is one of my teachers.**_ The silver eyed girl explained to the snow leopard animal guide, petting her head as they walked. Students stopped and stared at the two in awe, impressed at the fact that she now had two animal guides.

_**As you say, My Lady. I shall trust her if you say it is right. **_Fayen replied, a purr to her voice. The silver eyed girl merely smiled, excitement coursing through her veins as they made their way to Hikosu's quarters.

* * *

"You're _joking_"

It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.

Hikosu had introduced her new animal guide to the others, but Cael wasn't present. She could tell that Fayen was excited about meeting him.

"_Seeker?" _he said. "But first years _never_ – you must be the youngest house player in about…"

"A century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."

Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.

_**I'm so proud of you, Harry.**_ Hikosu whispered into his mind as she patted his leg. Fayen was sitting behind her in her animal form, glaring at the Slytherins as they gaped at her sleek form.

"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." He said, snaking his arm around his best friend's shoulders.

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.

"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too – Beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Draco, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. The strange thing was…he actually had some sort of strange emotion flash through his eyes. Was it a hint of…regret hiding in his eyes as he looked at Hikosu? Nobody but the silver eyed girl caught it, anyhow.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" after he said this, Hikosu grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed tightly. A bit of worry seeped through their mental bond and Harry couldn't help but squeeze back.

"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."

When Draco had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other.

_**Harry…this sounds dangerous…and I'm not even attempting to sneak past Papa. So please, **_**please, **_**be careful!**_ The silver eyed girl sent through their link. Harry smiled softly at her, their eyes briefly meeting before he turned back to Ron.

_**I'll be careful, Hikosu. I promise. **_He sent back.

_**I'll follow the boy, My Lady. I'll make sure he's safe.**_ Fayen said to Hikosu, making sure that Harry didn't hear her.

"What _is_ a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.

"Excuse me."

They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying…"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"and you _mustn't _go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.

"Good-bye," said Ron.

Severus sensed Hikosu's uneasiness as she settled down into bed that night. He looked her over to make sure he hadn't missed anything earlier – he would never forgive himself if she had been hurting and he hadn't caught it.

"Is everything alright, little one?" he asked, eying the snow leopard that had suddenly gotten up and left. He gave the young girl a small smile as she nodded her head, reaching out her arms to give her father a hug before bed.

_**I'm fine, Papa. I'm just still a bit uneasy from the incident earlier today.**_ She said, leaving Severus scowling. Draco Malfoy was going to have detention for a really long time after that stunt.

"Alright, my little one. If you're sure. I will see you in the morning, Hikosu. Sleep well." He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead before heading to his own room. The silver eyed girl couldn't help but sigh worriedly before drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Harry wasn't faring the same. It wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day. Harry was awake, listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them. There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Draco's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness…and his actions towards Hikosu were frustrating him. This was his chance to beat Draco face-to-face. He couldn't miss this.

"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go."

They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry.

A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.

"_You!_" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy – he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.

"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.

Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"Go away."

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so…"

But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of the Gryffindor tower.

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.

"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are _not_."

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? if he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve…" said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."

It was a sort of snuffling."

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.

It wasn't Mrs. Noris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out her for hours, alone, since I told Cael to go back to Hikosu. I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."

"Keep our voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."

"How's your arm?" said Harry.

"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good…well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later…"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.

They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minuets crept by.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak…and it wasn't Draco.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped around the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding." Harry was about to lead the others away when he heard another pair of footsteps, so much softer than Filch's, appear next to him.

"Harry, follow me." a womanly voice purred in his ear. The four students turned to see Fayen in her humanoid form. Her face was half hidden by shadows, making her seem so much more dangerous.

"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run – he tripped, grabbing Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

"Run!" hissed Fayen, eyes narrowing at Neville. For a split second she was torn between whether she should stay and confront Filch or not, but then she decided to go with the children. She could always come up with an excuse for them.

The five of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following – they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead (which wasn't the best idea Fayen had come up with, but she didn't exactly know the layout of the castle), without any idea where they were or where they were going – they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. Fayen was keeping watch with wide eyes and open ears, determined to keep the children safe.

"I – told- you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I – told – you."

"We've got to get back t Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you – Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Let's go." Fayen said.

It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.

It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Shut up, Peeves – please – you'll get us thrown out."

Peeves cackled, much to the displeasure of Fayen, who pinned her ears flat.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caught."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Not if I take care of you, first. Animal guides have the power to dispel spirits, Peeves, if need be." Fayen said. None of them knew if she was fibbing, but soon enough Ron became agitated.

"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves – this was a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door – and it was locked. Fayen pounded on it with her dangerously sharp fingernails, but it had no effect.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "_Alohomora!_

The lock clicked and the door swung open – they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. They gave Fayen the most space because she had the best hearing out of all of them.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please.'"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now _where did they go_?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right – _please_."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" and they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay – get _off_, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "_What_?" He only noticed now that Fayen had shifted into her snow leopard form and was hissing at the form behind them.

Harry turned around – and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare – this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.

They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.

They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.

Fayen stepped in front of the four students, intent on protecting them from the large beast. It was standing quite still, all six of its eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise and that it could sense the power that Fayen was emitting. It was going to quickly get over its surprise; there was no mistaking the thunderous growls that it was emitting.

Harry groped for the doorknob – between Filch and death, he'd take filch. They fell back ward – Harry slammed the door shut after he made sure the snow leopard had followed, and they ran, they almost flew back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared – all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulder and their flushed and sweaty faces. She looked equally surprised to see an animal guide standing before her.

"Never mind that – pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.

"What do you think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again.

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped, angering the snow leopard. She shifted back to her humanoid form, glaring at the human girl.

"Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione continued, ignoring Fayen.

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, _not_ the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

She stood up, glaring at them.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. Fayen had curled herself up on an extra blanket beside the bed, facing the door. The dog was guarding something…What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide – except perhaps Hogwarts.

It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was…


	11. Halloween

**I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. I was going to post like two weeks ago, but then things happened. School definately picked up (I had like 3 papers and tests in a week) and then my sister's cat had to be put to sleep. He was in my family for 12 years, since I was eight. He had inoperable cancer. His name was Roswell. (Like the city in New Mexico).**

**Anyway, thanks to:**

**Elia950 - Well, what I can do is have a Harry/Hikosu with one sided Draco/Hikosu (with Draco being the one sided) and then have his obsessive/romantic feelings dull down into a brotherly mode, like Cael.**

**Beautiful-Phoenix75 - Love that you like my story! Thanks for the review.**

**The Submarauder - Like I said before, I should do that for when he gets them in the 3rd book. XD**

**Oh! One more message! I'm going to give Hikosu at least two more animal guides. I'm asking you guys as my readers to pick an animal, name, and their looks as a human to put in my story. In the fifth book one of the four animal guides is going to die, however. I'm so evil, I know...but it makes for good drama...unless you guys vote for a near fatal wound or something. (I'm going to put up a poll later on).**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Halloween**

* * *

Draco couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.

The young blond boy was rather jealous – although he didn't know why – when Hikosu had hurried into the room and that snow leopard had ambled up to her, purring. It wasn't this that had him jealous, however; it was when she spotted Harry and instantly flung her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The two were rather close as he saw…but Draco didn't think that Harry should be friends with such pretty and mysterious creatures.

At the Gryffindor table, Cael had finally met Fayen. The two of them sat in the animal forms, staring at each other before they began to talk.

_**Who are you?**_ Cael warily asked as the gorgeous snow leopard narrowed her eyes at him. both of them felt a bond forming between them, but neither of them recognized what it meant…yet.

_**I am Fayen. You?**_ She replied, cocking her head to the side. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she sized the great white wolf up – at least she could admit that his coat was well kept.

_**I am Cael, loyal servant to Lady Hikosu.**_ At this the snow leopards whole demeanor changed. The air around her changed from suspicious to warm and welcoming.

_**Ah! You are Lady Hikosu's first animal guide! It is a great honor to meet you, sir. I am her second. We bonded yesterday.**_ After she gave this information, Cael's eyes warmed up. They knew the other was telling the truth for animal guides couldn't lie to their brethren. Those under the same Animalia became each others' family.

_**It is my pleasure, Fayen. Believe me; Lady Hikosu is happy to have you as well. I can feel it.**_ The great wolf said, eyes smiling as he nodded his head to her. Both of them phased at the same time, taking a seat next to the other on the bench in order to eat breakfast.

Harry was filling Ron in about the package that seemed to have moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. One of his hands was clasped tightly in Hikosu's; she had refused to release him after she saw that he was alright.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harry.

_**Or perhaps it's only dangerous in the hands of those who want to use it for evil?**_ Hikosu suggested and Cael relayed to Ron quietly.

But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Draco, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.  
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor M. McGonagall

Hikosu could feel Harry's elation through their weak bond; it was strange how it seemed to grow just the tiniest bit strong as their time at Hogwarts passed. Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even _touched_ one."

The three of them, along with Cael and Fayen, left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Fayen growled menacingly as Cael gave them a disapproving glare. Hikosu just gave a disappointed and unheard sigh, leaving Draco feeling a jolt of some unnamed emotion. He shrugged it off, seizing the package from Harry and feeling it.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it.

"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as Nimbus."

Finally Cael took the situation into his own hands. He phased into his humanoid look, giving the three Slytherins a dangerous look.

"Boys, I believe you should be getting to class. Don't make me do something I'd rather not do." He said, grinning and showing off his fangs. Fayen smirked in her snow leopard form, showing off her impressive set of teeth as well. Although they were impressive, all Draco did was glare, keeping his fear hidden.

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Draco snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Draco quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Draco's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.

Harry, Hikosu, Ron and the others headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.

_**Harry, that's mean.**_ Hikosu giggled as they continued up the stairs.

"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"

"Well, if he hadn't stolen that ball then I wouldn't have found Lady Hikosu." Purred Fayen as she phased into her humanoid form. Harry's hand tightened around his best friend's hand, face flushing as he realized he hadn't let go of it the entire time. They were obviously remembering when she had fallen.

"That was scary. If Fayen hadn't caught her…" Ron said, shuddering. They all did. if Fayen hadn't caught her than Hikosu would have been dead.

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's free hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last. He had agreed to meet Hikosu in the Quidditch pitch; Wood didn't mind that they'd be having a spectator. He had been fascinated with a certain snow leopard. He was saying that it was too bad she wasn't a lion – she could have been their mascot.

Oliver Wood was one of the few people who accepted the new arrival other than the first years who saw Fayen save little Hikosu's life. Not much was known about the Animalia and their animal guides since their numbers had been dwindling – not to mention that they lost their trust in most of humanity – so the witches and wizards of Hogwarts didn't trust what they didn't understand.

"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.

Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

But what got Harry's attention, however, was the fact that there was someone already in the field. Hikosu, Cael, and Fayen were already there…except for the fact that Cael and Fayen seemed to be playing some sort of keep away game. They had stolen Hikosu's outer robes, the ones outlined in white, and were throwing it back and forth to each other as the silver eyed girl jumped to reach for it. All three of them were laughing…looking almost like a family.

Not wanting to bother them and too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, he sent a small nudge through his and Hikosu's still raw bond. She nudged him back and he smiled, mounting his broomstick and kicking off the ground. What a feeling – he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.

_**Harry…**_ he heard a whisper in his mind just before a voice shouted, "Hey, Potter, come down!"

Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant…you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you and your lady friend the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." The older boy explained, sending a sidelong glance at Fayen while he was talking. Hikosu's face flushed bright red at being referred to as Harry's 'lady friend'.

He opened the crate while Hikosu and her two animal guides appeared next to the emerald eyed boy. Inside the crate were four different-sized balls.

"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

"Three Chasers." Harry, Cael, and Fayen replied. Hikosu just gave a small smile and a slight nod to show that she understood. Wood then took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So – that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?

_**Or sort of like hockey in the air with an added player.**_ Hikosu mused, earning a snort from her best friend.

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"Never mind," said Harry quickly.

_**Aww…Wood lives a sheltered life. **_The silver eyed girl sighed, once again drawing soft laughter from her best friend.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper – I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers, One Keeper." Cael said this time. They were determined to remember it all for it was a unique sport.

"And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" Harry asked, pointing at the three balls left inside the box.

"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."

He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."

He showed them two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. The wolf figure seemed to notice that they were straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box. He motioned for Harry to hand him the bat, grinning as the young boy did so.

"Stand back," Wood warned Harry and Hikosu, thinking that the two animal guides could look after themselves. The older teen bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball raised high in the air and then pelted straight at the two females. Harry quickly wrapped his arms around Hikosu's waist and jerked her out of the way while Cael swung the bat at the Bludger to keep it from breaking Fayen's nose. She was shocked at how fast the little black ball could move. It zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team – the Weasley twins are ours – it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So – think you've got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Fayen responded this time.

"Very good, you four." Said Wood.

"Er…have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.

"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers…"

"Unless they crack his head open." Fayen purred sadistically. The others looked at her with weird expressions before going back to Wood's explanation.

"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers – I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

"_This,"_ said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages – I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep." He paused for breath, "Well, that's it…any questions?"

Harry shook his head, looking down at his best friend. Her eyes were wide with worry for him. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it was that going to be the problem.

"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these." He said and the three spectators took their cue. They quickly settled in the stands as Wood pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.

Harry didn't miss a single one, earning cheers and praises from the three spectators. The ones who got him the most were the soft and gentle praises that only he could hear. The ones from Hikosu. Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.

"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons." At the mention of dragons little Hikosu's eyes brightened so much.

_**I'd like a dragon**_… she sighed dreamily, much to the amusement of Harry, Cael, and Fayen.

Perhaps it was because he was so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

Of course, Harry was experiencing the worst bout of separation anxiety that he had ever faced. During these two months at Hogwarts he slept in totally different ends of the castle from Hikosu. He had never slept so far away from Hikosu before. It pulled on his very heart and caused him to start breaking down whenever he had gone without holding her hand or being in her presence. He would become a nervous wreck.

Usually, Hikosu was the same. They all had the same classes together, but when they were forced to study in separate rooms – Hikosu in the dungeon with Severus and Harry in the tower with the other Gryffindors – they were forced to resort to that one magical sheet of paper they both had, remember? One of them would write on their sheet and the message would send to the other sheet and vice versa.

Of course, the two of them spent quite a bit of time in the Great Hall and the Library so they could study together.

On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice.

Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived. Hikosu was to work with another one of Harry's new friends, Dean Thomas. Cael and Fayen sat at the head of the classroom in their animal forms, looking at the students intently.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it – Harry had to put it out with his hat.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. He wasn't the only one who had trouble with the spell at first. Hikosu was doing all that she could; she was mouthing the words and making the correct wrist movement and neither Fayen or Cael could figure out what was going wrong.

_**My lady, perhaps you should not only mouth the words…but say them in your head as well? **_Fayen suggested as she stared intently at her mistress. Cael cocked his head to the side as if he was thinking about her suggestion.

_**It may prove useful, little one. I often find that repeating words in my head both strengthens the meaning and helps me remember. Perhaps it will help strengthen your magic? **_The wolf commented as he thought about it. Nonverbal magic was very difficult to master. She tried again, this time thinking the words instead of just simply mouthing them, and the feather glowed a soft white, lifting just barely off the table. It was a weak _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell, but she had accomplished it.

On the way out of the room Hermione asked to walk with her, commenting that she thought that they would benefit from studying together. After all, they were the only two who had successfully completed the spell. On their walk, however, they overheard a rather nasty comment.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said to harry as the four of them pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Hikosu gasped soundlessly as Hermione knocked into Harry as she hurried past them. Harry caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see that she was in tears. The silver eyed girl glared at Ron for upsetting Hermione, telling her two animal guides to stay put.

_**I'm going after her. Both of you stay here and make sure they don't do anything stupid. **_Hikosu said directly to the two animal guides. Fayen made a motion as if she were going to protest, but the chilling look in the eleven year old girl's eyes made her think twice.

_**I'm going alone, Fayen.**_ She said, but then her eyes softened, _**but I'll call you later if I need help.**_That was enough to calm the female snow leopard down.

_**Wait, why her? **_Cael cried, pretending to be insulted.

…_**Would you really want to go into a female's bathroom?**_ Fayen asked, sending the higher ranked animal guide an odd look. Cael started as a flush working its way through his soft fur. Hikosu smiled softly at the two's banter, knocking her shoulder into Ron's as she made her way after Hermione.

Both of the girls didn't turn up for the next class and weren't seen all afternoon. Cael stayed with Harry, but Fayen soon grew restless. She didn't know the people in the castle as well as the wolf animal guide did and decided to get herself acquainted with the workings of the castle. After telling her superior of her intentions, she went off to explore the castle.

Harry, Ron, and Cael soon made their way to the Great Hall for the feast. On their way, however, the three of them overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone, but that Hikosu had stayed with her. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations had put Hermione out of their minds…but Harry could still feel a little tug of worry on the edge of his subconsciousness. It was odd for he wasn't the one feeling worried.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feat appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. Harry had never felt so scared because he didn't have Hikosu in his line of sight. Cael was growling next to him, obviously berating himself for letting his charge wander off on her own. She was only eleven!

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. Cael wanted to go look for his mistress, but he had promised her that he would stay with Harry. He only hoped that Fayen would be able to get to her.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.

"I've just thought – Hermione and Hikosu!"

"What about them?"

"They don't know about the troll!"

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "For Hikosu. But Percy'd better not see us." And with a yip from Cael they were off.

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin before Cael could tell them otherwise.

Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy, but Severus. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Maybe he's looking for Hikosu?" it made sense. She was his daughter, after all.

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Severus' fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," the emerald eyed boy said, but Ron held up his hand as the wolf animal guide let out a whimper.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then they heard it – a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed – at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. the three of them shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll stopped next to the doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The key's in the loc," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

"Yes!"

Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop – a high, petrified scream – and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up. Suddenly, both Cael and Harry felt a subdued feeling of terror flash through their bodies.

"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.

"Hermione, _Hikosu!_" they said together.

It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Harry was scared, but the wolf animal guide was already clawing at the door, trying to get in. He was snarling and his eyes were wild with anger. Wheeling around, the two wizards sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. Hikosu was crouched over the other girl, shaking as a trail of blood was running down her temple. The emerald eyed boy's heart gave a lurch as Cael's growl intensified.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.

_**Harry!**_ Hikosu exclaimed, causing him to steal a glance her way. With a loud growl, Cael jumped on the back of the troll, giving him the opportunity to rush to his best female friend's site.

"Bloody Hell, Hikosu." He breathed, pressing the corner of his robe to her forehead. He took it off so she could have easy access to it as she told him what happened.

_**When the troll attacked we were caught off guard. He destroyed one of the stalls…and the wood beaned me in the head. **_She said, pointing to the rather large gash on her forehead. A howl from Cael brought their attention back to the ogre. Hikosu stood, but her vision swam as she sunk back to the ground. Harry looked down at her, worry evident in his emerald gaze. It was up to him and Ron since Hermione's wand was all the way across the room.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to try to convince Hermione to move.

"Come on, run. _Run!_" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

The shouting, growling, and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Despite all the damage that Cael had done to his flesh, the troll seemed to have a one track mind.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: he took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll with notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

_**Oh, Harry, be careful! **_Hikosu exclaimed in fright. Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright with Hikosu still kneeling over her. Ron pulled out his own wand – not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over – and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto the owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the twole room tremble.

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his want still raised, but Cael had morphed into his humanoid form, scooping the silver eyed girl into his arms.

_**I am sorry for not being here, little one. I will not fail you again.**_ He swore to her as she buried her face into his chest like a small child would do to an elder sibling.

It was Hermione who spoke out loud first.

"Is it – dead?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.

"Urgh – troll boogers."

He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps and made the three of them looked up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Fayen had come bounding through the door with her fangs bared. She gave off a soft roar of her own at the fallen troll before morphing and hurrying to Hikosu, who gave her a half-hug. She was still trembling slightly as the female animal guide inspected the wound on her head.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Severus, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Severus made his way towards his daughter, eyes immediately darkening as he spotted the wound on her head. He glared at the three Gryffindors, almost silently accusing them of harming his daughter. He almost said something, but Hikosu's voice whispered in his mind.

_**Papa…**_ it wasn't what she said, but how she said it. Her voice was breaking and her lower lip wobbled as she looked up at him. Her silver eyes were glassy; she had never been so scared in her entire life. She lifted her arms from around Cael's neck and gestured towards her father, lips still wobbling.

Severus was quick to lift his surprisingly light daughter from Cael's arms. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and nuzzled her face into his broad shoulder.

Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Severus gave Harry a swift, piercing look as Cael mentally filled him in on the situation. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for Hikosu and me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read all about them. Hikosu found me and told Cael and Fayen to find Harry and Ron. Cael found them."

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Hikosu shielded me when the troll destroyed the stalls. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. Cael bit and scratched at it, but it wouldn't be deterred. They didn't have any time to fetch anyone – be glad that Fayen could smell us out. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.

"Well – in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Severus had started wearing a pink tutu to his Potions classes.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

"Severus, it may be wise to take Hikosu to the hospital wing." The Transfiguration Professor suggested, but the Potions Master just glared. He was going to take his daughter to their chambers and take care of her himself. Not that he didn't trust Poppy Pomfrey, but he would rather make sure she was fully healed.

Harry and Ron hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled. Harry was still a little worried about Hikosu, but he just couldn't ignore Ron's conversation.

"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her…and Hikosu was in there, too." Harry reminded him.

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looked at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became Harry and Ron's friend. The group was expanded, now made up of Harry, Hikosu, Cael, Fayen, Ron, and now Hermione. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.


	12. Quidditch

**I'm so sorry this is so late. I never intended for it to be months later...geeze. I'm sorry, but things came up. For example...I had exams and final projects. Then, I had my wisdom teeth removed and had a bad reaction to the medicine. Then christmas (and I started a new fic) and I was trying to figure out which suggestions to use =P you guys gave me good ones!**

**Thanks to:**

**Forever Dreaming Grace**

**ADHD **

**Raine44354**

**FlamingSnowpaw**

**murdrax**

**dante kel-sae**

**mysterygirl123 - maybe just a little =P**

**midnightangelxoxo**

**Infernoinside **

**for their reviews! I'm sorry that I didn't actually respond to anyone's besides mysterygirl123's, but I just didn't have the time...and I didn't want to have a giant author's note.**

**PLEASE VOTE ON MY POLL! It's kinda important to me =D**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Qudditch **

* * *

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting the broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots. It was a bad time for Hikosu for she hated the cold. She was extremely sensitive to things like changes in the seasons. She was lucky that she didn't get sick – Severus would have thrown a fit.

At least she had her wolf and her snow leopard animal companions to keep her warm at night.

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. He was nervous about the game, but every time his mind drifted towards having a nervous breakdown Hikosu was always there to send a warm and calming nudge through their link. Although they were only eleven, their bond was growing stronger every passing day.

Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse – people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.

It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also lent him _Quidditch Through the Ages, _which turned out to be a very interesting read. Instead of studying in the Gryffindor Tower, as Hikosu wasn't allowed there when she didn't have a dorm there that semester, the four of them either studied in the library or under the watchful eye of Severus in her quarters. More often than not they were in the library. Severus' glares were brutal at times!

Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1437; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most Serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.

Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway. The silver eyed girl, along with Fayen and Cael, was by the dark haired professor's side. She was frowning in worry, sending the three of them an apologetic glance.

_**I'm sorry about Papa, Harry. He's hurting and he won't let Cael or Fayen look at it. I don't even know how he got it…so the pain is the reason why he's being so mean. **_She said right before the four of them reached the trio. Her worry was slipping through her bond and the emerald eyed boy picked up on it. He wondered what happened.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?"

It was _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Harry showed him, still worried.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. Hikosu glared at him before kicking Ron in the shin. Both Fayen and Cael growled menacingly at the red headed boy before the wolf phased and spoke.

"You would do well to respect your elders, Ronald. He had his reasons for what he does." And with that he sent a hard look towards Harry. Perhaps he wasn't the boy that the wolf animal guide thought he was. Harry almost instantly felt a bout of horrible guilt. He remembered the times that he was cranky because he had been hurt by his cousin. He had no room to speak.

_**I'm sorry…**_ he tried to tell them through their bond, but the silver eyed girl only sent him a disappointed look as she was being led away by her wolf animal guide.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy – how would they learn? – but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.

Harry felt restless. He wanted _Quidditch Through the Ages _back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. He had tried to send Hikosu messages through their enchanted parchment and only received messages from Cael. Had he confiscated it from her? Fayen was lying at his feet – the silver eyed girl felt that one of them should be with him at all times for some reason – but that didn't explain why she wasn't answering his parchment calls.

He got up, deciding that he was going to go find the two of them. Lucky girl was allowed to be in the Teacher's Lounge because her father was a Professor. Why should he be afraid of Snape anyway? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.

"Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening. Or, he would be nicer if his daughter was there. He noticed that the man was only cruel to others when Hikosu wasn't there. It was like she drew out the kindness within him, which was an amazing feat in itself.

Harry made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing.

_**Harry, what are you doing? **_Came Hikosu's curious voice from behind him. The boy jumped, whirling around. He sighed in relief when he saw that she wasn't mad at him anymore. He opened his arms and she hugged him, letting him wrap his arms around her as well.

_**I wanted my book back. Where's Cael? **_He responded, noticing that she was alone.

_**Inside. I had to go to the bathroom. **_She replied with a giggle. He nodded and turned back to the lounge.

Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes. Snape and Filch were inside, alone with only Cael for comfort. Said animal guide was holding his glowing hands above the wound as Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

He felt his best friend take in a soundless gasp of air and her hand quickly found his own.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but –

"POTTER!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped and he felt Hikosu tense from behind him.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back."

"GET OUT! _OUT_!"

_**Harry, leave. I'll take care of Papa.**_ Hikosu said in a shaky voice, _**Tell Fayen what happened.**_

Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor and only because the silver eyed girl told him to. If she hadn't said anything he would have stayed there with her. He knew how much her father meant to her and when he was hurt she was hurt. Maybe not physically, but she was emotionally.

He sprinted back upstairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"

In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.

"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick _he_ let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

"You don't know that, Harry." Came Fayen's calm voice. She was curious and doubtful, but she put her full trust in her Mistress' father.

Hermione's eyes were wide.

"No – he wouldn't." she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he woulnt try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind – he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.

The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast."

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry."

Harry felt terrible, but as soon as a familiar face sat right in front of him it was like all of his troubles washed away.

_**Harry…eat a piece of toast for me? **_the silver haired girl asked, handing him a piece of the buttered toast. He did so only because she asked. He would literally do anything the silver eyed girl asked of him. He trusted her that much. She gave him a small smile when her animal guides sat next to her, both giving her small glares. She had hurried to the table and the two of them had lost her in a throng of students, but they knew she was alright in the castle.

Harry was grateful for her presence. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team." He then winced – he had been kicked in the shin by Hikosu.

"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages after he rubbed the pain from his injured leg.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. Hikosu had also helped Dean paint over the lion with specialized colors so it seemed like it was real.

Unfortunately, since she didn't belong to any one house, she had to go sit with the Professors. She didn't mind, but she had wanted to watch the game with her friends. Perhaps in the future she would be able to ask Dumbledore if she could watch the games with her friends.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing to their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).

Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Goo dluck, all of you."

Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.

Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. Out of the corner of his eye he though he saw Hikosu standing with a giant smile on her face, Cael and Fayen beside her in their animal forms. They were howling and roaring in time with the cheers.

He felt brave.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve – back to Johnson and – no , the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc…no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by the Slytherins – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger – sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes – she's really flying – dodges a speeding Bludger – the goal posts are ahead – come on, now, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.

Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.

"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."

When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let out his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasley, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the – wait a moment – was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch – all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.

Harry was faster than Higgs – he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead – he put on an extra spurt of speed…

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

Hikosu was furious. She turned to her father, who also had a furious expression on his face. Although he hated Harry for being James' son, he didn't want the boy to die. If the boy died then his daughter would be miserable and the feelings of his daughter always came first when it came to him.

_**Papa, is that legal?**_ She asked him in an angered voice as Cael growled next to her. He was not a happy camper. Fayen hissed at a passing Slytherin, making him squeak and jerk his broom away from the stands. Her father only shook his head, a sneer forming on his face.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.

Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.

"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating…"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"

"_Jordan, I'm warning you…"_

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal posts – he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out – and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was ziazagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.

Perhaps everyone else was concerned with the game, but Hikosu never took her eyes off of Harry. She jerked her father's frock coat sleeve and pointed to the boy.

_**Papa! Papa, what's going on?**_ She exclaimed, biting her bottom lip. He didn't answer her; instead, he started to chant underneath his breath.

_**It seems like someone's cursing his broomstick, little one. **_Cael commented as he and the snow leopard beside him looked to the boy in concern.

Lee was still commenting.

"Slytherin in possession – Flint with the Quaffle – passes Spinnet – passes Bell – hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose – only joking, Professor – Slytherins score – oh no…"

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom…but he can't have…"

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands.

His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic – no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape – look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. he had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something – jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me."

Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.

Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.

What she didn't know was the fact that it wasn't the older man's robes she set on fire. It was Hikosu's.

It took perhaps thirty seconds for the silver eyed girl to realize that she was on fire. A high pitched scream told Hermione that she had done her job, but she didn't stop to think that the voice was a little too high pitched to be the Professor's voice. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row – Snape would never know what had happened.

When the silver eyed girl had screamed, Severus' attention was immediately reverted from Harry to his daughter. His heart started pumping double time when he saw that her robes were on fire. The dark haired male hissed in slight panic as he used his want to put out what was left of the fire – obviously Hermione didn't get it all from when she set Hikosu's robe on fire. His daughter looked up with watery eyes and he enveloped her in a hug as she cried.

It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom, but he had a feeling that something was very wrong with his silver eyed best friend.

"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.

Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick – he hit the field on all fours – coughed – and something gold fell into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.

"He didn't _catch_ it, he nearly _swallowed_ it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference – Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results – Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione. Hikosu was also there, but she was glaring at both Ron and Hermione. They were accusing her father of tried to curse Harry.

"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided the truth.

"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

_**Harry, you're making a mistake. How do you know he's not trying to protect whatever it is? **_The girl huffed, getting up and leaving the hut as Hagrid dropped the teapot. This time it was Cael who stayed behind as Fayen followed the angered Animalia. Harry felt guilty once again, but he was also severely confused. Who should he believe.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked.

"_Fluffy?" _

"Yeah – he's mine – bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the put las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"Rubbish." Said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.

The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.

"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh – yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel…"

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself.


	13. The Mirror of Erised

**Please, PLEASE, vote on my poll? Please? Pretty please?**

**Thanks to:**

**Child Of The Night Wolves12 - Eep! Well, I updated! Severus is a bit OOC in this chapter, but I thought it was kind of funny.**

**Raine44354 - XD Aww, thanks. Glad you like the story enough to be thrilled.**

**unseen constant - Yeah, but I'm trying to write in the mindset of an 11 year old. He'd, of course, believe her, but then he would want to believe his other friends, too. Subconsciously, he always believes that Severus is innocent, but the way his friends are all arguing he has the right to be a little bit confused. **

**littledhampir13 - I apologize for not having any Draco in this part, but I'll be sure to put in a little Draco action in the next chapter. It'll be just between Draco and Hikosu, how about that? =D**

**GinnyLover14 - I hope you like this chapter more than you liked the last one.**

**Please VOTE ON MY POLL!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

**The Mirror of Erised**

* * *

Things had been going downhill for Hikosu ever since Hermione had set her robes on fire thinking she was setting Severus' robes on fire. She was now terribly afraid of anything that had to do with the object. Instead of cuddling in front of the fire with her animal guides or snuggling into her father's lap while he read her a book, she curled up with a blanket in the furthest corner of the room.

"Hikosu, love, why don't you join me?" Severus asked for what seemed like the millionth time that month as he gestured towards the chair next to the fireplace. She had been getting better at being in a room with fire. She no longer screamed voicelessly, having flashbacks of her robes being set on fire. Severus cleverly set up a grate in front of the fire – it was made of iron and glass. She could see the fire, but it couldn't touch her. More importantly, it couldn't harm her.

It wasn't just the fire that was bothering her. She was questioning her friends. At first she thought that Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley would be friends that she could count on, friends that she could trust…but then they had started to accuse her father of trying to hurt Harry.

She knew something was going on. She had heard Professor Quirrell start chanting in front of her that day. She didn't know what he was doing – whether or not he was chanting a counter curse like her father had been doing – but when she asked her father about the turban wearing Professor…Severus had taken her by the shoulders, kneeled in front of her, and told her never to talk to Professor Quirrell alone. He was a bad man.

Harry…she told him time and time again that her father was innocent and she knew that Harry knew that she was right. There was the tiniest bit of doubt within his mind, but that was due to the fact that he didn't know Severus well enough and he didn't have the knowledge that Severus provided her with. It was like the dark haired Professor was a completely different person when he was with his daughter.

_**Okay…**_ she whispered, surprising her father. He had offered to read to her every night for the past week, knowing that somehow his deep voice lulled her to sleep, but each time she had denied being read to. Her acceptance meant that she was getting over her traumatic experiences.

"What do you want me to read about?" he questioned, taking note that his daughter had an unusual interest in magical creatures.

_**Dragons?**_ She questioned with an innocent gaze. Severus chuckled, flicking his want to summon the book they had been reading before the incident. It was a book on different dragons of the world. They had last stopped on the East Asian Dragon.

"Alright. Come here, little one." He said and patted his lap. Fayen and Cale shifted into their animal forms and curled up with one another, spreading their body heat around the small sitting room. The silver eyed girl complied with the wishes of her father and climbed up into his lap. He opened the book to the East Asian Dragon and Hikosu marveled at the moving pictures.

"East Asian Dragons, most commonly found in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, are typically long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs. Chinese dragons have both potent and auspicious powers. Unlike the Chinese Fireball, the Celestial Chinese dragon has never been tamed. It has particular control over water, rainfall, hurricanes, and floods depending on its emotions." Severus started, petting his daughter's hair with one hand and flipping the page of the book with the other, "In the Chinese culture, the Celestial Dragon symbolizes power, strength, and good luck. It is considered immensely lucky to spot a Celestial Dragon." He continued, smiling as he caught Hikosu yawning.

"Muggles use Celestial dragons in their myths to explain magical phenomenon. There are several major dragons of Chinese mythology. The most well known are Tianlong, a Celestial dragon, Shenlong, the thunder god that controls the weather, Dilong, controller of rivers and seas, and Quinlong, guardian of the East." He continued, lowering his voice once he realized that his daughter had fallen asleep. Being as gentle as he could, Severus scooped Hikosu into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. He made sure that the book made its way back on the shelf, courtesy of Cael's drooly wolf-mouth, and transfigured his daughter's robes into her usual nightgown.

He settled his daughter down into bed and decided to stay up a little longer to grade some essays. Severus loathed the job, but it was something that was required. At least he could write snarky comments in Harry's paper and the boy wouldn't care in the least. It was a bit refreshing to be able to make fun of a student and not have them ultimately hate him in the end.

He was unaware that his beloved daughter was suffering from a nightmare simply due to the fact that she couldn't scream.

_It was dark in Hikosu's dream, but the girl could hear a lot of dark and evil laughter. It was high pitched and feminine, but then another kind of laughter replaced it. It was even worse than before._

_Suddenly, the silver eyed girl felt like someone was watching her. She turned around and didn't see anyone, but there was a mirror. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity. She looked in the mirror, but the details were blurred. She continued to stare curiously in the mirror, but Hikosu couldn't help but shiver at the feeling of foreboding that was creeping up on her._

_Suddenly, there was an image in the mirror. An image of Harry as an infant. There was another infant there as well and she could only guess that it was her when she was a baby. She smiled a bit before a man replaced the infant children. He looked like an older version of Harry with the same structure and messy black hair, but he didn't share the same eye color. He smiled down at her and she vaguely recognized him from somewhere._

_But, just as she was beginning to relax, the man that looked like Harry morphed into Professer Quirrell. He looked down at her with his evil eyes and started to unwrap his turban, smirking all the while. When his head was finally unwrapped, she could hear someone else's laughter echoing along with his. She tried to back away, but the older man's arm snatched her arm – his arm was reaching out through the mirror._

"_You will belong to the Dark Lord soon enough." He hissed, dragging her towards the mirror and finally pulling her through._

Hikosu shot up from the bed, voicelessly screaming due to her dream. Her father, Cael, and Fayen all raced into the room after sensing her mental distress. Apparently, Hikosu had very good mental shields – most likely from the Earthen magic – but they had dropped when the dream Professor Quirrell grabbed her arm.

Severus rushed to her side and opened his arms as the young girl clung to him, tears streaming down her face.

"Hikosu, love, what's the matter?" he softly said as she latched onto him. She wouldn't say anything, keeping quiet even when her animal guides shifted to their humanoid forms. Fayen started to stroke Hikosu's hair and Cael stood watch over the room, making sure that there wasn't anything there to physically harm his Animalia.

Hikosu felt like she couldn't speak. Well, she couldn't speak normally, but she felt like her mind was too sluggish and fear-filled to give a proper response. Finally, after a mental argument with himself, Severus used legilimency to read his daughter's dream. Normally, he was severely against doing so, but he was at his wit's end. He had never witnessed his daughter acting like this from a dream before. He wanted to know what happened to he could properly console his silver eyed daughter.

After viewing the dream, and trying to calm his anger, his grasp on his daughter tightened. She had stopped crying, but Severus knew that kind of dream would haunt her for a while.

"I promise you that the Dark Lord will never get his hands on you." He said, not making a Wizard's promise as he really didn't know if he could keep the Dark Lord from his daughter. He did know that he would fight for her until his last breath left his lips.

Months passed and December finally came. Christmas was coming!

One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. Fayen was beside herself in joy – since she was a snow leopard – but Cael was less than pleased. He hated the snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Severus' classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Harry as he spoke, completely ignoring the fact that Hikosu was sitting next to him and she was in a similar circumstance. Her father didn't have legal guardianship over her and Harry yet, so if she did want to go 'home' she would have to go back to the Dursleys.

Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lion-fish, ignored them. Instead, he handed the powdered spine to Hikosu and she added it to the potion. Severus smirked and was inwardly proud of how the two were behaving. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match, but if Severus was correct, he was developing a bit of a crush on Hikosu. If he was right, then it would die down in a couple of years…but if he was wrong, it wouldn't be pretty.

Malfoy was disgusted that the Slytherins had lost and had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. He respected Hikosu to a degree since Severus was her father and his head-of-house.

It was true that Harry and Hikosu weren't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Why would they want to when they had Severus to spend Christmas with? Hikosu even got permission from the Headmaster for her father and her to spend it up in Gryffindor Tower. It was an unusual request, but they understood the origin of her feelings. Both Harry and Hikosu were feeling strained. They had spent every waking moment before they went to Hogwarts together and now they only saw each other during classes, when they studied, and during meals. They also saw each other occasionally when they hung out, but not snuggling together like before was taking its toll on the two of them.

This was why Hikosu asked if she and Severus could spend Christmas up in the tower. She voiced her opinion for several reasons. One, it was very cold in the dungeons despite the almost always roaring fire. Two, she didn't want to spend Christmas with one or the other – she wanted to spend Christmas with BOTH of the important men in her life. And Three, she knew that her father had spent Christmas alone for a long, long time and she wanted him to have company, despite the fact that the company would be children.

Severus had been taken aback by the offer and had wholeheartedly accepted once he realized that it would make his daughter happy. His heart warmed and he realized that the more time he spent with the silver eyed girl the more cold hearted shell he placed around his very being started to crack and melt.

Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry and Hikosu had signed up at once. She also let Professor McGonagall know her plans. At first the older woman wasn't too keen on letting the Slytherin head-of-house in the tower, but then she realized that this may be exactly what the dark teacher needed. Harry and Hikosu didn't feel sorry for themselves at all; this would probably be the best Christmas they'd ever have. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Cael sat on one side of Harry while Fayen sat on the other side of Hikosu.

_**What is that? **_The silver eyed girl asked, eying the tree to see if it was some sort of hex gone awry. She wouldn't know any better since she was a first year after all. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it, answering Hikosu's question.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, shrinking a bit underneath Hikosu's glare. She still hadn't forgiven him for insulting her father.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose – that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Severus came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily as he eyed the children in front of him. He was frowning and it was almost like he was going to do something he didn't want to do.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you." He sighed, looking at his daughter to make sure she got the hidden meaning. Severus had explained long ago, during the first month of classes, that he was a teacher that was hated because of his bitter actions. He was bitter because his daughter had been taken away and he didn't even know where she was. He spent a long time trying to find her and finally gave up, becoming the bitter person that he was…but he was trying to come out of his shell now that his daughter was back in his life. It was hard for him to act nice, but for some reason he was required to keep up the pretenses that he hated Gryffindors. He once told her it was because all Slytherins hated all Gryffindors, but if that was true…then why did Draco Malfoy look at her sometimes with a weird expression on his face?

_**Papa, Malfoy was the one who started it. Why didn't you take points off of him? **_Hikosu questioned, knowing that only he, Harry, Fayen, and Cael could hear her. He looked down at her and a twinkle appeared in his eye.

"Wait a minute. On second thought, five points from Slytherin for provoking a fight." Severus said as well, smirking. His daughter did have a point. He looked down at her and his smirk grew as he saw his daughter's smile. She really was a good influence on him.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere while scowling.

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him…"

"I hate all three of them." Harry said referring to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the six of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree – put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione while Hikosu held up a finger. "And that reminds me – Harry, Ron, Hikosu, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree. Hikosu had wandered away and was watching Professor Sprout trail special tended garlands, brightly decorated, along the doorframe of the double doors.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You _what?_" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here – I've told yeh – drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"Hagrid, forgive me, but what harm is it for the children to research an alchemist? It could be for homework for a particular class." Fayen said after phasing into her humanoid form. She cocked her head to the side and smirked, revealing one of her fangs.

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added, feeling mischievous due to the fact that they were all ganging up on Hagrid. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere – just give us a hint – I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron and, after Harry had retrieved Hikosu and slipped a protective arm around her shoulders, left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what the three headed dog was guarding? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in _Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, _or _Notable Magical Names of Our time; _he was missing, too, from _Important Modern Magical Discoveries, _and _A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. _And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search, giving another to Cael and yet another to Fayen, while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry and Hikosu wandered over to the restricted section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. Perhaps he could persuade Hikosu to do that one look to Severus – you know, the one that got her anything she wanted? All she had to do was water her big silver eyes a little and Severus Snape was wrapped around her little finger.

The books in the restricted section contained powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense against the Dark Arts.

"What are you looking for, boy? You too, girl?"

"Nothing," said Harry while Hikosu bit her lip and shook her head.

"You'd better get out, then. Go on – out!"

Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library with Hikosu in tow. It took a lot of convincing, but Cael and Fayen stayed behind. Hikosu wanted to spend some time with Harry by themselves, like they used to before they found out they were magical. He, Ron, Hermione, and Hikosu had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. Cael disagreed – he was sure she'd be able to tell them, but the children didn't want to risk anyone hearing what they were up to.

Harry and Hikosu waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. She was optimistic, but still had a bit of doubt that they would find anything worthwhile. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.

Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione, plus Fayen and Cael, joined them, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "I'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione. While they had been talking, Hikosu was suddenly hit with the feeling that someone was watching them. She turned around, half expecting it to be her overprotective father, but a stroke of fear course through her when she noticed that it was Professor Quirrell that was staring at her. He was smirking – an uncharacteristic smirk – and she looked around to see if anyone else noticed, but she was short on luck.

The only thing she could do was to turn around and curl into Harry's side, not saying a word because she didn't want to worry anyone. Her nightmare came back to mind and she shuddered, but Harry only put an arm around her shoulders thinking she was cold.

Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. Severus Snape had proven to be more entertaining than previously thought. Since it was the holidays he didn't need to be so strict. He played Wizard's Chess with Ron and had deep, meaningful conversations with Harry. He read to all three of them when Hikosu asked if they were still going to read at night and the two boys proved to be as interested in the East Asian Dragons as she was.

"I wonder of my brother Charlie has ever seen one." Ron commented once, eyes wide as Severus continued to read. He had actually attracted a few of the other Gryffindors who had stayed behind as well. Severus, however, had to warn them that when school was back in session that he would be a hard ass once again.

Severus and Hikosu had their own suite behind one of the paintings in the Gryffindor common room and that was where they spend their nights, but one or two times Severus woke up to find his daughter missing. The first time that happened he nearly had a heart attack, but Cael stated, in confusion, that he felt his Mistress was near. It turns out that she and Harry had curled up on one of the couches together and had fallen asleep with a book in their laps.

The two boys, Harry and Ron, had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. It was especially great when Severus read to them there. All four of them, plus Cael and Fayen when they weren't curled in a corner sleeping, sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork – bread, English muffins, marshmallows – and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled. Severus was being unusually lighthearted about it. It must have been because each plan was more farfetched than the last. They were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

After a few days of watching Ron and Severus play wizard's chess, they decided to teach Harry. Hikosu wasn't so much interested in playing as she was in watching. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family – in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.

Harry played with chessman Seamus Finnigan had lent him for Severus' pieces wouldn't listen to him at all. It didn't help much, the ones Seamus didn't listen to him, either. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send _him_, we can afford to lose _him_."

On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all, except for Hikosu who managed to send him one every year. When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed. His head swivvled to the door when it opened to reveal Severus and Hikosu.

"Hey, why does she get to come in here and we can't go to the girls' dorms?" Ron angrily huffed as everyone ignored him.

_**Merry Christmas Harry.**_She said, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek. He flushed, wondering why he was suddenly feeling excited that she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was only eleven!

"Merry Christmas." He returned, repeating the words to Severus as he conjured a chair for him to sit in. The older man put down his armload of gifts – they were most likely for Hikosu – and set aside a few for himself.

Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, From Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it – it sounded a bit like an owl.

A second, very small parcel contained a note.

_We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. _Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.

"That's friendly," said Harry as he looked over to Hikosu's pile. She had received a small carved dragon from Hagrid and a pink ribbon from Aunt Petunia. She was staring at it with a faraway expression on her face.

"What's wrong, love?" Severus questioned as he saw his daughter just holding the ribbon.

"Aunt Petunia used to tie ribbons around her neck to hide the Animalia mark. Sometimes they were too tight and she couldn't breathe." Harry explained as Severus' expression darkened.

"Well, I'll just have to fix that." He said with a scowl, taking the ribbon from Hikosu's limp hands and setting it on fire. He levitated it in the air until it was gone and looked down at his daughters face. It now sported a smile and she giggled soundlessly.

The two of them looked at their small piles, surprised to find one package apiece from Ron's mother.

"I told her you two didn't expect any presents and – oh, no," Ron groaned, "she's made you two a Weasley sweater."

Harry had torn open the parcl to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge. Hikosu's sweater was a lovely shade of violet and she, too, had received fudge.

"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's _always_ maroon."

"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. His next present also contained candy – a large box of chocolate frogs from Hermione. She had sent Hikosu a book about magical creatures and Severus couldn't hold back the smile at the delight on her face.

This left only three boxes left. Harry picked up one of the smaller ones and opened it up, jaw dropping when he read the card.

"_One Get Out of Detention Free Pass – Severus Snape._" He read. Severus was smirking as he looked up at the Potions Master.

_**Are…are you serious?**_ Hikosu wrote down on a piece of paper for Ron's benefit. Severus' smirk grew and the four of them burst out into laughter. It seemed like Ron had also received a pass, but Hikosu had received something a little different. It was a photo album of her as a baby. It was filled to the brim with photos of her and a younger Severus.

"Lily was a bit camera happy, but it didn't mean that I wasn't happy for the pictures." Severus murmured. Hikosu looked through the pictures before looking up with a gentle smile on her face. There were pictures of Harry, Lily, James, and a few other people too.

_**Thank you, Papa. **_She wrote before getting up and hugging his neck, kissing his cheek. Harry had two gifts left, as did Hikosu, and Severus had one from Hikosu left. He had already opened his gifts from his few acquaintances.

Harry neatly tore the wrapping off of his gift from Hikosu, widening his eyes when he saw the book on Seeker tactics.

_**Cael went to the small village near here to get your presents.**_ She wrote as Ron tore open his present to find a book on the Chudley Cannons. Severus was a bit more reserved opening his gift from his daughter.

Inside the little box was a pocket watch with a dragon engraved on it. He smirked, thinking it was a normal pocket watch, but when he opened it up he was shocked to see 'Home' written where the twelve was supposed to be. Along with 'Home', there was 'Dentist', 'Prison', 'Lost', 'Quidditch', 'Mortal Peril', 'Tailor', 'Bed', 'Holiday', 'Forest', 'Garden', 'Work', and, finally, 'School'. There were four pictures on little spindles in the watch – Hikosu, Harry, Cael, and Fayen. In the box there were vouchers for more names to be added to the watch.

He looked at it with wide eyes before looking back to his daughter. She was looking at him with a sheepish expression.

_**I got it so you wouldn't have to worry about me…**_his daughter said in his mind with a slight laugh. Her tone conveyed her double meaning and, for once, Harry wasn't able to hear her when she spoke. Severus looked at her, eyes softening, and as he leaned forward to hug his daughter he caught sight of Ron staring at him with wide eyes. The older man just gave a soft sigh and smiled, forgoing his usual smirk at the time of tenderness.

"Thank you, Hikosu." He said, truly grateful for something like that. Now he wouldn't worry when she was off doing something…supposedly dangerous with Harry. It wasn't like he was expecting her to get into something dangerous…but Harry **was** James' son, after all.

Everyone turned to Harry so he could open his last gift – it seemed like he was supposed to go first and then Hikosu would open her last gift. Harry shrugged and picked it up, feeling it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.

Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped, Hikosu cocked her head to the side, and Severus frowned.

"I knew it." He muttered, but refused to say anything else of the matter.

"I've heard of those," Ron said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is – they're really rare, and **really **valuable."

"What is it?"

Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is – try it on."

Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.

"It **is**! Look down!"

Harry looked first at Hikosu's surprised expression. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide. His mouth twitched a little and he looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Harry pulled the cloak off and watched as Severus picked up the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he recognized, but he wouldn't tell the younger ones who it was, were the following words:

_Your father left this in my possession before he died. It was time it was returned to you. Use it well._

_A very Merry Christmas to you._

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note after Severus had given it to him. Ron was admiring the cloak.

"I'd give _anything_ for one of these," he said. Hikosu snorted in silent laughter.

_**So you'd get into more trouble, right? **_She wrote. Ron flushed after he read the note.

Harry felt strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it once belonged to his father?

It was Hikosu's turn to open her last gift. It was small, about as small as the box she had given her father. Inside the box was a vial on a chain. The vial itself was about as long and thick as her pinky finger and it was filled with some sort of silvery liquid. The three males stared at the vial. Severus recognized the liquid, but he couldn't be sure. What he was thinking of was exceedingly rare…except if it came from the one source he was thinking of.

There was also a note in her box, but it was much shorter than the one given to Harry. Apparently it was from the same person who had sent Harry the invisibility cloak.

_A gift to you for the troubled times ahead. Use it well._

_A very Merry Christmas to you as well._

"That," Severus said slowly as he pointed to the vial on the chain, "is a bottle of Phoenix tears."

Before anyone could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasly bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else that wasn't originally in the room. Hikosu just shrugged and placed the magically enhanced chain around her neck, stuffing the vile underneath the shirt Severus had gotten her a while ago and the sweater she had gotten from Mrs. Weasley. He was always getting her little things, giving her the excuse that 'Harry's muggle family couldn't provide for children.' He also gave Harry things from time to time, but he wasn't Severus' main concern.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey look – Harry and Hikosu got a Weasley sweater, too!"

Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

"Harry's better than ours, though, and I don't think mum has used Hikosu's color before, has she?" said Fread, holding up Harry's sweater and picking at the silver eyed girl's. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

Severus, who had not said anything at all, smirked at the scene.

"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid – we know we're called Gred and Forge."

Fred and George were acting perfectly normal in light of the strange situation. It was almost like having the head of Slytherin in one of the Gryffindor dorms was a normal thing. The very first day they woke up to see Severus and Hikosu in the common room, it was a funny sight to see. Their mouths had been hanging open and they had been openly pointing at the Potions Master, who had promptly threatened to deduct points for their stupidity.

"What's all this noise?"

Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Hikosu got one."

"I – don't – want…" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. Severus smirked at the entire situation, forgoing his previous thought of deducting points for the Weasley family's sheer stupidity.

For all that it was worth, both Harry and Hikosu had never had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce – and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. Those fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Cael and Fayen were having a blast with those, pulling them whenever someone entered or exited the Great Hall. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.

Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Hikosu watched with a wide smile as Hagrid got redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

When Harry finally left the table, Hikosu following after Severus told them he would be up in the Gryffindor common room in a little while, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizards chess set. Hikosu also had her own gryphon plush doll and a sparkling purple wrestling mask. She wasn't sure if she'd ever wear it, but it was pretty and had a butterfly on it. Fayen walked with them while Cael stayed with Severus. The white mice had disappeared and the two young ones had a nasty feeling that the mice were going to end up as Mrs. Noriss' Christmas dinner.

Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Hikosu, not feeling like joining in the fight, was building a snowman with her father and Cael. Fayen was having a grand time attacking the Weasleys with Harry – she seemed to have developed a childish streak when it came to the snow. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, the large group returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron and listening to Severus read to them from the magical creatures book. Harry suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. When they almost ran into Severus when he entered the common room, he successfully hog tied them with his wand and left them in a corner of the room with socks in their mouths. All three of them.

He could have simply deducted points, but where was the fun in that?

It had been both Harry and Hikosu's best Christmas ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of Harry's mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it. The same person had given Hikosu a vial of Phoenix tears.

Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.

His father's…this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. _Use it well, _the note had said.

He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.

_Use it well_.

Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooding through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.

Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? something held him back – his father's cloak – he felt that this time – the first time – he wanted to use it alone.

He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room – but he ran into a snag on the way. The portrait to the place where Severus and Hikosu usually slept was open and the girl was currently sitting on the couch with a worried expression on her face. Cael and Fayen were nowhere in sight and neither was Severus. Where were they? Harry began to rethink his decision about going alone if Hikosu was going to be here by herself. The emerald eyed boy whipped off his cloak and the silver eyed girl jumped.

_**Harry? What are you doing up? **_She questioned softly, eyes wide.

"The better question is 'what are **you** doing up?'" Harry retorted just as softly.

_**Papa had to do night rounds – all of the teachers do them to see that students aren't out of bed.**_ She replied, _**Cael and Fayen went with him…because I didn't want anything to happen to him.**_ she continued, eyes downcast. Harry felt bad that she was worrying about Severus so he decided that they could go to the library together.

"I was going to go to the restricted section of the library tonight…with this." He said, holding up the cloak, "I think it's big enough for two people." He continued as an afterthought. Hikosu smiled up at him, daring to be dangerous just for one night. She was getting a little frustrated with how her father, Cael, and Fayen were becoming overprotective.

The two of them stood and wrapped the invisibility cloak around them. Like Harry thought, it was big enough for the two of them. After they had gotten the cloak situated around them, they climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. They walked quickly down the corridor. The two of them headed towards the library – they would be able to read as long as they liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. They set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around them as they walked.

The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see their way along the rows of books, Hikosu right behind him as she clung to his arm. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.

The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.

They didn't tell the two children much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry and Hikosu couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled and Hikosu's stomach started to ache with the tension in the air. Maybe they were imagining it, maybe not, but they thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew people were there that shouldn't be.

They had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open. Hikosu looked over his shoulder, standing on the tips of her toes with a curious expression on her face.

A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence – the book was screaming! Hikosu stumbled back against a table, a soundless scream erupting from her lips. Harry snapped the book shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting ote. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside – stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He grabbed Hikosu's hand and threw the cloak back on before they passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through them, and Harry helped Hikosu slip under Filch's outstretched arm and streak off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in their ears.

The two of them came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library and protecting Hikosu – he didn't want to think about what Severus and the two animal guides would do to him if his silver eyed best friend had gotten detention – he hadn't paid attention to where they were going. Perhaps because it was dark, but he didn't recognize where he was at all.

_**Harry, where are we?**_ Hikosu asked, deflating the emerald eyed boy a bit. That had ruined his idea of asking her if she knew where they were. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but they must be five floors above there.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library – Restricted Section."

Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever they were, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting hearer, and to his horror, it was Severus who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

If Severus was there, Fayen and Cael must have been there as well. They could smell the two young ones…and they would be in trouble for sure.

Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see the two children, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they knock right into the two children. The cloak didn't stop them from being solid.

Much to their confusion, Cael and Fayen were not with Severus. They didn't have much time to dwell on it after all since Filch answered their question.

"Genius plan, Professor, having the two animal guides roam one part of the castle while you and I have another part. Makes it much easier to catch troublemakers." He said. Harry felt a sort of immense relief at the situation, but Hikosu's nerves had skyrocketed. What if Quirrell tried to hurt her father?

Harry backed away as quietly as he could, taking hold of his female friend's elbow and guiding her with him. A door stood ajar to their left. It was their only hope. The two of them squeezed through it, holding their breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief the two of them managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall with Hikosu pressed up against his chest. They were breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before the two of them noticed anything about the room they had hidden in.

_**I don't like hiding from Papa, Harry. It almost makes me wish we had revealed ourselves to him, but then we'd get in trouble. **_Hikosu said in a shaky breath, _**Just make sure we get back before he does?**_ She questioned him and he nodded. Severus didn't have early morning classes the next day – because it was still Christmas break, of course - so he would be back late.

The room they were in looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing them was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

Hikosu took in a sharp breath, recognizing the mirror as the one from her dream.

_**Harry…**_ she whispered, fear in her gaze. Harry took the cloak from their small bodies and turned towards her, concern in his eyes.

"What is it, Hikosu?" he said, worried about his friend. He had never seen her so scared since the time Dudley threatened to rip the wing off of a bird. She had understood the bird's screams.

_**I had a dream about this mirror…**_ she whispered again, _**Or more like a nightmare, really. **_She continued with a sigh. It was really a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi. _

"Don't worry. I don't think that a mirror could really be that bad." He said, not really believing his words. Ever since he had found out he was a Wizard, Harry had been cautious about a lot of things in his life. The mirror could easily be evil. He stepped in front of the mirror, having to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously when the book had screamed – for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him, including Severus and Hikosu.

_**Harry, what's wrong?**_ Said silver eyed girl question, her unease from the mirror replaced by surprise from Harry's reaction.

"There were…there were people in the mirror." He answered in a daze. But the room was empty save for Hikosu.

Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others, Hikosu, and Severus. Harry looked over his shoulder – but still, no one was there besides the silver eyed girl. Or were they all invisible, only seen by the mirror? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible and intangible people, only reflected in the mirror?

He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. Hikosu stood next to him with a bright smile on her face, hand holding his and fingers laced. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. if she were really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air – she and the other existed only in the mirror…but that doesn't explain why Hikosu was in both the mirror and behind him.

And what about Severus? He was alive, but he was in the mirror as well. It was just so confusing.

He looked back at the woman in the mirror. She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes – _her eyes are just like mine, _Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green – exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. the tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.

Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.

_**Harry, what is it? What do you see?**_ Hikosu was starting to panic a little and she let out a soundless squeak when Harry whirled around and grabbed her shoulders. He jerked her in front of the mirror, where he was once standing. She let out another soundless squeak when she realized that there were more people in the picture than she realized.

"No, what do **you** see?" he questioned her, trying to figure out what was wrong with the mirror.

_**I see…me…and you…but we're older. We must be seventh years or close to it…and I have more animal guides. A lot more…**_ Hikosu murmured. _**We're holding hands…and Papa is there…and so is your dad, I would guess that's who he is.**_

She trailed off as she stared at the picture. What she didn't tell Harry was that she was wearing an engagement ring. Along with Fayen and Cael, who were in animal forms, there was a young unicorn, a dragonfly on Fayen's head, a fennec fox, and a golden eagle. There was also a very large Asian dragon that curled around all of them. Seven animal guides in all.

"But that's not what I saw…" Harry said, "I saw my family and you were there…and so was Professor Snape."

The two of them stood there before Hikosu moved so that Harry could see himself in the mirror again. Those people and his parents appeared once again and he could help but whisper.

"Mom? Dad?" he breathed. They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees – Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. A smile reached his lips when he felt Hikosu place her hand on his shoulder, but he had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

How long the two of them stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. The two of them couldn't stay there – he had to get Hikosu back to bed before Severus and the two animal guides got back to the common room. Harry tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," before throwing the invisibility cloak over both of their frames, guiding Hikosu from the room. They decided to keep the mirror their little secret for the time being.

The snow still hadn't melted the next morning. Harry and Hikosu had gotten back before Severus and the two animal guides, fortunately, but they were extremely tired the next day.

"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.

"No."

"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"

"No…you go…"

Ron gave up talking to him so Hikosu decided to take charge.

_**I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. That strange and scary mirror. **_She said, shuddering at the thought of her nightmare, _**Don't go back tonight. **_She continued, worry evident in her gaze.

"Why not?"

_**I have a bad feeling about it – and we barely got away last time. Filch, Papa, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around – and Fayen and Cael are, too! What if they walk into you? What if Cael or Fayen smell you? What if you knock something over? **_She babbled, silver eyes wide and voice worried.

"You sound like Hermione."

_**I'm serious, Harry, don't go.**_

But harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of that mirror. Hikosu saw that she couldn't dissuade him from going.

_**Alright, **_she sighed, _**but I'm going with you.**_

The third night the two of them snuck out they found their way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast, and almost dragging Hikosu with him, and he knew that he was making more noise than was wise, but the two didn't meet anyone.

And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Severus was smiling down at him, hand on Hikosu's shoulder. And her hand was still entwined in his as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Harry felt his cheeks blush, but he couldn't look away. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. Hikosu sat behind him with her chin over his shoulder, seeing her own experience in the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying there all night with his family. Nothing at all.

Except…

"So…back again, Harry? Hikosu?"

Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him, over Hikosu's shoulder. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.

"I…I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.

"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry and Hikosu, "the two of you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, sir."

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does." He looked between the two chilcren.

"It…well…it shows me my family…"

"And it showed Hikosu her animal guides – all of them – with you two as seventh years. With your father and her father." Hikosu blushed and looked away from the two wizards.

"How did you know…?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible, Harry." Said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Harry and Hikosu shook their heads.

"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want…whatever we want…"

"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Hikosu, having no known family, sees herself surrounded by her animal guides – even the ones who might or might not exist – and her father. She sees you as her family and your father makes you happy – apparently she wants you to be happy as well since there is a chance he may be alive. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.

"The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, Hikosu, and I ask that you two not go looking for it again. If you ever _do_ run across it, you will now be repared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up, pulling Hikosu up gently behind him. Her eyes were drooping due to the lack of sleep for three nights.

"Sir…Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick. Woolen socks." And with that Hikosu let out a soundless giggle. Harry, however, stared.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But, then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.

But why did he feel so disappointed when Dumbledore told him that Hikosu saw him as family?


	14. Nicolas Flamel

**So! Now that my uber big project is over, I have written this chapter! Yays.**

**Thanks to:**

**TwilightEclps - I do make some of my own stuff up, but I'll add more when the entire story is done. I'll edit and add, take out, and such. That's one of my flaws lol**

**Raine44354 - Aww, I'm so glad you liked the Christmas chapter.**

**TheBeginningsEnd - Yus! An engagement ring XD**

**Child Of The Night Wolves13 - Yup, deep down he loves her lol**

**Yellow Flash - um...Your review was really mean. Was it really called for? I mean, you could have told me what I could do to improve...or something. I am a female (dude, read my profile) and I wanted to be in the books when I was like...11, but I'm 20 now so it doesn't matter. o.o**

**littledhampir13 - Hah! I have written your Draco scene! and yes, Draco is supposed to be OOC for my story, because I have plans for him in the future. XD**

**heyy - Aww, thank you! I'd so totally glomp you if I could.**

**unseen constant - Here's the newest chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Nicholas Flamel**

* * *

What Hikosu didn't tell anyone, including her father, was that she had received another gift on Christmas morning. It was a small gift, a ring shaped like an Asian dragon, that she had hidden away in one of the dressers in her room.

Who was this gift from, you ask?

It was from a Mr. Draco Malfoy. There was also a note attached – an apology note.

It read:

_I apologize for my actions of the past. Meet me in the old Charms classroom on the fourth floor after breakfast._

It requested that she meet him on a specific date. The only problem was that she had to get away from her father, Harry, and everyone else. Perhaps she could request to go to the bathroom? But then Fayen would want to go with her. The silver eyed girl just sighed. She supposed that she could just tell Fayen the truth. They were girls and girls stuck together, did they not?

Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk. The emerald eyed boy wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having horrible nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, Voldemort torturing his father, and people in grotesque cloaks holding an injured and unconscious Hikosu. Severus and the animal guides were dead behind her and a high voice cackled with laughter.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry had told him about these dreams. He had cracked and told Ron everything when he had slipped up one night after Hikosu and Severus went back to live in Severus' quarters.

Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry and Hikosu being out of bed, roaming the school at night ("If Filch had caught the two of you! And Hikosu, where were your animal guides?"), and disappointment that they hadn't at least found out who Nicholas Flamel was.

The four of them had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Cael had often asked them what they were looking for, but they just replied that they were trying to find something that interested them.

Harry had even less time than the other three, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Soon enough, it was the morning of the day that Hikosu was to meet Draco in the old Charms classroom after breakfast. She had come up with an excuse for her male friends, but getting rid of Fayen was going to be a problem…unless she told her a little white lie. But how was she going to come up with one? Especially when Fayen could sense her stronger emotions?

Time was ticking down and that was when Draco caught her eye from across the hall. He smiled at her – it wasn't a sneer or a smirk. It was a smile. It was light and apologetic, but the look in his eyes was sad. It was like he was lonely.

Unfortunately for her, Fayen caught sight of her looking at Draco.

_**Anything you wish to tell me, 'Kosu? **_Fayen questioned her. The silver eyed girl was startled. Hikosu had no idea that she could communicate with her that way. Sure, it was easy for her – she had developed the ability to project her thoughts with the help of magic for the majority of the last year and the beginning of this year, but for her animal guide to do it? Was she able to absorb Hikosu's abilities?

_**Um…no…?**_ the silver eyed girl blushed and winced at the same time. Well, Draco was cute…she supposed. But, then again, his blond hair was slicked back with oil – something she didn't like at all – and his eyes were cold. He had been through a lot in his life it seemed like.

_**Then why are you blushing? **_Fayen questioned her with a smirk. The silver eyed girl's eyes widened. Her snow leopard animal guide was accusing her of having a crush on Draco! Well, actually, that would work perfectly. Then, later on, she could convince her that it was some silly puppy love and that Draco didn't like her like that and she would have to move on. It was perfect! Perhaps now was the time to put the acting lessons she had to suffer through – thanks to Petunia – to work.

_**Well…I…I…um…promise not to tell?**_ She pretended to stutter out her embarrassment. So far it looked like Fayen was taking the bait. Her eyes started to shine and a grin stretched from her smirk.

_**You have a crush on little Draco? I would have never guessed! You could do better, but…ah! Young love! **_The female animal guide squealed in her seat. The boys looked to her and to the girl blushing as she looked down at the table.

_**So you're not going to tell? **_The silver eyed girl pleaded with her animal guide.

_**No, I won't tell. But, if he does anything to you that I don't like…it is safe to say that I'll literally tear him apart. **_Fayen replied with a small smile.

_**Good…because he wanted to meet with me in the old Charms classroom…after breakfast today…**_ she almost whispered. Fayen squealed again and this time she was aware of everyone staring at the two of them.

"Oh! Don't mind us. We have to be going – Hikosu has to go to the bathroom." She said, making up, ironically, the same excuse she was going to use with the boys. With that statement she blushed harder, but Fayen just ushered her up. The silver eyed girl caught the eye of the Slytherin Prince and he nodded to her. The two of them hurried past the bathroom and made their way to the old Charms classroom.

"If this takes any longer than fifteen minutes, I'm coming in after you. Remember, if he does anything – **anything** – at all that you don't like then I'm just a mind call away." Fayen reminded her as the silver eyed girl nodded.

"I'll be waiting just outside the door. I'll also take his wand before he sees you to make sure nothing funny happens." The female animal guide said with a wink. Almost seconds later a very disheveled Draco made his way through the door. Hikosu giggled soundlessly and he looked up at her before raking a hand through his gelled hair. The strands didn't even move after his hand went through it.

"Hey…" Draco trailed off, obviously surprised that she was there, "Your animal guide took my wand…so I'm not armed." He chuckled, obviously waiting for her to say something. She sighed soundlessly and dug through her bag for some ink and parchment.

_**Yeah, she said she would do something like that**_ she wrote on the parchment and smiled at Draco. Normally, she wouldn't be in the same room with him, but he had been acting odd ever since he had dropped her from the broom.

"I…ah…" he stuttered. This was very uncharacteristic of him and she wrote exactly what she was thinking.

_**You're acting very odd. Why did you want to meet with me? **_she questioned him, cocking her head to the side as he sighed. He backed to the wall and slid down, running a hand through his head again.

"I wanted to apologize to you. I was being a prat to the three of you, but I was highly insulted when Harry refused the offer of my friendship." He tried to explain without success.

_**What? What do you mean? How were you insulted? **_The silver eyed girl wrote as she took a seat next to him. She did, of course, sat a bit away from him.

"Imagine being eleven years old and belonging to one of the oldest and purist wizarding families in England." He started, waiting for her nod. Once he had gotten it, he continued.

"Now, imagine being groomed to be the heir of said family –I have no siblings – for eleven years. Now, your mother is prim and proper while your father ignores you for the most part. In order to gain your father's approval, you try to make friends with the Boy Who Lived. When he turns down your offer of friendship you feel hurt and angered because you lost yet another chance of gaining your father's attention." He continued with a sigh.

Hikosu looked at him, nodding once again that she was following the story. Actually, she was starting to feel bad for him. But, having parents was better than being separated from your only parent for your entire life.

"I felt hurt, yes, but the anger was stronger. I wanted to make his life miserable. I thought that if I picked on his friends, then he would be miserable as well. I was half-right. I didn't feel better after I picked on you. I was terrified when you fell from my broom. I thought you were going to die and it scared the bloody hell out of me!" he finished, looking at her with miserable grey eyes.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to pick on you anymore, but Harry insulted my family's honor. My father won't let me let that go." He sighed.

_**What if…what if you explain things to Harry…and we'll know that you don't mean anything by it?**_ Hikosu suggested on the parchment.

"No!" Draco yelped, flushing when he realized how loud he had been, "I mean…do you really think he'll listen to me? A slimy, nasty Slytherin?" the grey-eyed boy asked.

_**I'm sure he will. Harry will understand, but I'm not sure Ron or Hermione will listen to you. But, as for now, I'll be your friend. **_The silver eyed girl said with a smile. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door.

"Time's up, guys!" Fayen said, poking her head in the door. Draco smiled at the silver eyed girl and rose, taking his wand from the female animal guide.

"I…hope you won't be mad at me for my actions in the future." He quietly said before quickly kissing her cheek and running off. Hikosu stared at him with a mixed expression. She didn't know what to believe.

On one hand, she promised him that she would be her friend. She belonged to Hogwarts and not any certain house. Her robes were outlined in neither of the four house colors as proof of that. But, he was a Slytherin. It was common of Slytherins to look down on others, especially in one of a family as high as the Malfoys…but the look in his eyes was sincere. He didn't act like a Slytherin or a Malfoy just a few seconds ago.

Was that small and frustrated boy the true Draco Malfoy?

Fayen shook the little girl from her shock, smiling down at her.

"Don't you think you should meet up with Harry, now?" and like that the conversation she must have heard was put in the past.

* * *

The silver eyed girl felt horrible. It wasn't because she was keeping as secret from Harry and her father – that actually added to it, but it wasn't as bad – it was the fact that her favorite green eyed boy was suffering.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side despite the obvious worry he was putting Hikosu through. If Gryffindor won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired after training.

Harry had kept the nightmares to himself, but somehow the silver eyed girl could always tell when he was having one. It became so that Cael would spend the night with Harry and would wake him up if the nightmare became too much.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" he exclaimed, throwing Hikosu a particularly nasty glare. It was like he was accusing her of knowing and not telling them that her father was going to be refereeing.

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at those words while Fayen gave Wood a particularly nasty glare right back. Cael's muzzle had pulled back in a snarl and his fangs were glinting despite the lack of sun.

"_Snape's _refereeing?" George spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." Cael's growls became louder as the rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not _my_ fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Severusnear him while he was playing Quidditch. Firsthand experiences with him were not happy, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Severus wasn't the one who was making his life miserable. He had a feeling that Severus was hiding behind a mask that he only let Hikosu see behind.

The rest of the team hung back to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room when he realized that Hikosu had run back into the castle while his team was insulting her father. He would have gone after her if he knew where she went, but even he knew when she wanted to be alone. He felt strangely empty when their link was quiet – she was trying to suppress her feelings so that he would know how she was truly feeling.

In the Gryffindor common room, he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing that Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen…" he caught sight of Harry's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Severus' sudden desire to be a Quidditch referee. Hermione, however, could tell that it was more than that.

"You aren't telling us something." The female demanded in her bossy way.

"Hikosu won't speak to me…and I have this weird feeling that Snape isn't all who he seems to be." Harry admitted.

"Well bad luck about 'Kosu, mate, but of course Snape's bad! He works for You-Know-Who!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ronald!" Hermione snapped, slapping him on the back of the head. She then turned to Harry.

"Why don't you think he's 'all who he seems to be?'" the bushy haired girl questioned.

"I dunno. It just seems like he's putting on a front in front of the students, but when he's around Hikosu, he's…softer, I guess." Harry said, looking at them in the eyes, "Does an evil person love someone, even if they're family?" he added with a serious expression. Ron and Hermione sighed, obviously defeated. No, they couldn't really deny that fact, but Ron still thought that Severus was out to get them because they were Gryffindors.

"But what am I going to do about the Quidditch match? He's still head of Slytherin." Harry suddenly questioned as he became nervous again.

"Don't play." Hermione suggested.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested again.

"_Really_ break your leg," said Ron.

"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except for Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on." He continued. Before anyone could say anything else, he continued to talk.

"Funny thing was, it was like he didn't want to do it. He only started picking on me after Crabbe and Goyle showed up."

"Go to Professor McGonagall anyway!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville! No matter how weird he's been acting!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out both his special parchment – the one that connected with the one that Hikosu had – and a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave the Chocolate Frog to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry…I think I'll go to bed…D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever…"

He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione. Before he said a word, he snatched a quill and ink from his bag, writing a message on his special parchment. The words disappeared and Hikosu's reply was instantly visible.

_**I'll be right there. Let me in when I knock, okay?**_ Was her reply.

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione questioned.

"_I've found him!" _he whispered.

* * *

After Hikosu had settled herself inside the Gryffindor Tower with Cael – she had left Fayen with Severus – and had leaned sprawled out, not that any of the Gryffindors minded, he repeated what he had told Hermione and Ron.

"I've found Flamel! I read his name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discover of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, _and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel!" _

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks and Hikosu let out a soundless giggle before Hermione was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.

_**What is she looking for? **_Hikosu asked Harry, seemingly not as mad as she was before. She was still withholding some of her emotions from her emerald eyed friend, but it was better than before. Harry shrugged with a small half-smile, but turned back to Hermione when she found the answer.

"I knew it! I _knew _it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the _only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!" _

This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. Cael stiffened and pinned his ears back, instantly phasing to his humanoid mode.

"If they are looking for the Philosopher's Stone…then we may be in more danger than ever before." He commented.

"The what?" said Harry and Ron. Hikosu shook her head, looking up at Cael with a questioning look. She had no idea what the Philosopher's Stone was, but she had heard a little bit about Alchemy from her father. Alchemy had to do with Chemistry and that took a little bit of Potions, too.

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look – read that, there."

She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read. Hikosu stood tiptoed behind Harry so that she could read as well.

_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making  
the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with  
astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal  
into pure gold. It also produces the Elixer of Life,  
which will make the drinker immortal._

_There have been many reports of the Philosopher's  
Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently  
in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, who celebrated  
his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year,  
enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle  
(six hundred and fifty-eight)._

"See?" said Hermione, when the three others had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone momved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! _Anyone_ would want it."

Right after those words came out of his mouth he heard a terrifying growl and a great stinging sensation ensnared his cheek. His head snapped to the side as a loud crack echoed through the room.

_**Don't you **__ever__** talk like that about my father again, Harry. **_Came Hikosu's deathly quiet voice in his head. She let her emotions fly through him and it was safe to say that he felt lower than troll boogers. She was feeling distraught over being torn between her father and her closest friend.

Harry slowly turned his head and raised his hand to his cheek. Ron started forward, an angry expression on his face, but Cael translated for her.

_**I know I've known you for far longer than I've known my father…but I **__know__** him. He's told me some things…things that I can't tell you because he'll be in trouble if I did. Things that were supposed to be kept secret from you. Things that I can tell you in the future, but not now. **_

And as suddenly as the onslaught of emotions came, it was suddenly blocked off. It was never this blocked off before. Harry felt lonely – empty. It was like half of his soul was missing.

_**Come to me when you want to apologize. My father is not in the wrong. He is not an evil man.**_

And with that she and Cael exited the room.

* * *

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with the Philosopher's Stone if they had one. Harry had dark bags underneath his eyes – he had a hard time sleeping with the sudden empty feeling he was experiencing. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Severus and the coming match. He felt a pang of loneliness when he thought of Hikosu. None of his friends could compare to her. She was the one who knew him inside and out.

"I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them…it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."

"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.

"Yeah. And you've got a girl to apologize to, mate." Ron added, "If you can ever find her, that is." Hikosu had a tendency to disappear when she didn't want to be found.

As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?

Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Severus wherever he went. The older man was glowering at him more than usual – the emerald eyed boy thought it was because he had got into a fight with Hikosu. At times, he even wondered whether Severus was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, not due to how Severus was acting, but because his silver eyed best friend wouldn't speak to him. He wasn't allowed to talk to her besides asking for ingredients, either. Severus kept sending him an odd look – sometimes Harry had the horrible feeling that he could read minds.

Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand. Right as he was to walk out of the locker rooms, his special parchment caught his attention.

_**Good Luck, Harry. **_Was all it said and he gave a gentle smile. He still couldn't feel a thing, but perhaps this was a good start.

Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Draco using it on Neville, and they were ready to use it on Severus if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry. There was the little problem of Hikosu, however. She did show up to the match with Cael and Fayen – they were higher up in the Gryffindor seats.

"Now, don't forget, it's _Locomotor Mortis_," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.

"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."

Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even-blimey-Dumbledore's come to watch!"

Harry's heart did a somersault.

"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.

Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. He was safe. Even if Severus wanted to hurt him, there was no way he was going to when Dumbledore was watching.

Perhaps that was why the older man was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look – they're off. Ouch!"

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Draco, who looked like he didn't want to be there.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." He said halfheartedly since Crabbe and Goyle were right behind him.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" Ron didn't answer; Severus had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, and there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

"That's enough, boy." Cael lowly said as he cuffed the back of Draco's robes. He turned around harshly, ready to glare at the offending figure, but he deflated when he saw the sad look in Hikosu's eyes.

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Draco and Cael.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy twitched, but Crabbe and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." Draco said against his better judgment. Cael growled in his humanoid form at the young boy in front of him. Ron's nerves were already stretched to the braking point with anxiety about Harry.

Suddenly, their attention was diverted. Harry had gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry stretched toward the ground like a bullet. Hikosu appeared next to her and they held onto each other in their worry.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" muttered Malfoy.

Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat with Hikosu to watch as Harry sped straight at Severus – the two of them didn't even notice Draco and Ron rolling around under her eat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that ws Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle. Cael and Fayen were trying to pry the boys apart without much success.

Up in the air, Severus turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches – the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.

The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly. Hikosu left everyone in the mass of bodies – she was determined to be the first down to greet Harry.

Said emerald eyed boy jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it – the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped – then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror…been keeping busy…excellent…"

Severus spat bitterly on the ground while his daughter tackled him in a glomp.

* * *

Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He had apologized to Hikosu and they were on good terms again. She even kissed him on the cheek! It felt even better for her to lift her restriction on her emotions. Now he could feel her there, like a small caress in the back of his mind.

Harry had done something to be proud of now – no one could say he was just a famous name anymore. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head. Gryffindors running to life him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down…but the makeup was definitely the best.

Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd shown everyone, including Severus…

Speaking of Severus…

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk, Severus, sneaking into the forest while everyone was at dinner – what was going on?

Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Severus enter the forest at a run. He followed.

The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Severus had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.

He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.

Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Severus, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Harry strained to catch what they were saying.

"d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know of the Philosopher's Stone, after all."

Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Severus interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I…"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell, especially when I've seen you eyeing my daughter. I can be a _very_ protective father." Said snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't know what you…"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Severus say, "…your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't…she's so p-p-powerful…" and he mumbled more.

"Very well," Severus cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think over and decided where your loyalties lie." He said, "Oh…and stay away from my Hikosu."

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though petrified. Harry didn't want to believe that Quirrell had been eying his best friend. She was only eleven!

He raced back to the common room, yanking Ron, Hermione, and the others into an empty room. He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So…we were wrong…and Hikosu was right?" Hermione questioned.

"And Quirrell has some sick obsession with Hikosu?" Cael growled, white hair bristling.

"But it can't just be Quirrell. He's a spaz, someone else has to be ordering him around." Fayen mused.

"Yeah…now all we need to do is make sure whoever it is doesn't get the Stone." Harry said.

This was going to be harder than they thought.


	15. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

**Right so I know more people reviewed than the ones that I'm thanking, but they weren't the ones for the last chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed!**

**Thanks to:**

**TheBeginingsEnd - I know. I wanted to do something different since Severus is innocent, after all.**

**littledhampir13 - yes! Draco fluff!**

**Raine44354 - I know, a lot of the story in this chapter is not original except for the first part. There will be a big original part coming up, soon. In the next chapter, probably at the end.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback**

* * *

Yes, everything would be harder than they thought. That very same night, a hooded cloaked figure paced back and forth in the forbidden forest. He was hissing in both pain and aggravation. The man tugged on the turban that was wrapped tightly around his head.

"Please, Master, forgive me!" the man, Quirrell, pleaded as he hunched over with his head in his hands.

"You have failed me, Quirrell. You have had several chances to kill the boy." A sharp, dangerous voice hissed back. The voice wasn't inside the man's head, rather, it came from underneath his tightly wrapped turban.

"But, Master, I was waiting for the opportune moment to kill him!" the frightened man tried to make an excuse that would save his life.

"Nonsense! You were even spotted by Snape. Are you trying to be caught by the Ministry?" the voice hissed once again. This time, a searing shot of pain ran from the back of his skull to the very front.

"No, my Master! I just couldn't help but to imagine what a fine, beautiful body she would have in the future…" the turban clad man knew that it was the wrong answer when he felt like someone was shooting off a series of painful curses and hexes within his skull.

"Insolent fool!" the voice hissed at him, "She is one of the pieces of my plan! You will do nothing to her or else her power will not useful to me!"

"But why her, Master? What is so special about her?" Quirrell almost whimpered through the pain.

"Because she's Harry Potter's soulmate. If I can get to her, the Potter boy will soon follow." The object hissed out a horrible laugh.

"My Master?" Quirrel gasped.

"We strike when she least expects it."

* * *

In the weeks that followed, Quirrell seemed to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look like he had some sort of sinister plot running through his head. He just looked sick. Hikosu tried to stay away from him now that she noticed the weird looks she was getting from him.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hikosu would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. She would have Fayen and Cael stand guard so that they wouldn't get in trouble with Filch. Severus was sweeping about in his usual smirk, which meant the stone was till safe. Quirrell hadn't done anything yet. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him a heavy glare. Ron had also stopped telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all of her notes. Hikosu was almost as frantic as her – she had to worry about performing the spells perfectly without a voice to aid her. Her father had been helping her with nonverbal magic, but she was still making average grades in every subject except for Potions. She had a natural talent for it and Severus had never been more proud of that.

Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded Hermione's frazzled notes, but she kept nagging them to do the same. Hikosu was studying with Harry often since they wanted each other to succeed, but Severus still held disdain at letting his daughter hang out with Ron and Hermione.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away."

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…" she trailed off as she smugly pointed towards Harry and Hikosu.

"See? They've got the right idea."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Hikosu was a tad bit funnier because her wand sometimes sprouted random flowers or shot water at Hermione. Cael explained that it was because of her inner magic still trying to stabilize itself. It probably was going to last until she regulated her consummation of the Life Spring's water and that was going to take a while since she hadn't drank from the spring before coming to Hogwarts.

Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time with the two girls and the two animal guides in the library, trying to get through all of their extra work.

"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first rally fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, _didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid shuffled into view as Hikosu stole the book from Harry and flipped through it for him, finding the needed page in less than two seconds. It helped to have a Potions Master for a father. Hagrid was hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" he looked suddenly suspicious.

"Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Philosopher's St…"

"Shhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy…"

"SHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen – come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. they'll think I've told yeh…"

_**Should we even be talking about this in here? **_Hikosu mused even though she knew that Harry was the only one who could hear her when Cael wasn't translating for her.

"See you later, then," said Harry. It looked like he took Hikosu's question into account after all.

Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"_Dragons!" _he whispered, ripping Hikosu's attention from her book – and Cael's tutoring – to listen to the conversation. Cael huffed, but decided that she had earned a break.

"Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide." _

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so when Hikosu and I met him for the first time." said Harry.

_**I so totally want a dragon. **_The silver eyed girl said with a grin. The group laughed when Cael snorted. Fayen chuckled, taking over Cael's job as interpreter.

"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden – anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania.

"But there aren't wild dragons in _Britain_?" questioned Harry as he sent Hikosu a sympathetic glance.

"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.

_**I hope it's a dragon. **_Hikosu said with a grin.

When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was only the four of them – Cael was spending time with Severus and the four of them convinced Fayen that they would be alright while she scoured the forbidden forest for clues about Quirrell.

It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So…yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"

"Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush.

"We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid frowned at him.

"O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don't know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts – I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

_**Yeah…how would we not know about a giant three-headed dog? I mean, you can hear it growling from the second floor. **_Hikosu mused in her head. Of course, she would be talking to herself since only Harry could hear her.

"Oh come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice.

_**Ooh, she's good. **_Came Hikosu's unheard comment.

Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling.

"We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." Hermione continued.

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione while the silver eyed girl giggled soundlessly.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that…let's see…he borrowed Fluffy from me…then some o' the teachers did enchantments…Professor Sprout – Professor Flitwick – Professor McGonagall…" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell – an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape.

"Snape?" Ron asked, aghast.

"I'm more worried about Quirrell. If he's trusted by Dumbledore…then this is bad." Harry mused with a dark expression.

Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Quirrell was protecting the stone, he was posing as a good guy. That meant Severus was trying to protect the Stone and he was threatening Quirrell. Quirrell probably knew everything except how to get past Sevrus' protection…and he was probably too scared to ask.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.

"Well, that's something," Hrry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too, along with the others. Hikosu did a double take and then a wide grin spread across her face. She started to bounce in her seat.

_**Merlin…I can't believe what Hagrid has!**_ She exclaimed, silver eyes sparkling. Harry hadn't seen her this happy since they had gotten their Hogwarts letter.

"Hagrid – what's that?"

But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

_**Eek! I wonder what kind of dragon it is…**_ Hikosu squealed, unheard by everyone except for Harry.

"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's…er…"

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

_**Oooh, I wanna take care of it! I wanna help! **_Hikosu moaned, letting Harry translate for her. Ron and Hermione chuckled a bit and Hagrid grinned, but he declined the offer saying that she was a bit inexperienced.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," Hagrid said in response to Hikosu's protest, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library – _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_ – it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feet it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here – how ter recognize diff'rent eggs – what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't. Hikosu also started to come down from her excited high.

"Hagrid, you live in a _wooden house,_" Hermione said.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening the four of them struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Ron and Hermione while Severus created a study schedule for his daughter with the help of Cael. Fayen wasn't much help in tutoring as she had little patience for teaching.

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words. _It's hatching._

Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it and Hikosu wanted to go as well, but Cael wouldn't let her. He was adamant that she keep up in her studies.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's goint to be in what someone finds out what he's doing…"

"Shut up!" Harry whispered.

Draco was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Draco's face at all. Hikosu looked at him with sad, watery eyes and he looked back at her with a regretful expression. They were communicating through their expressions.

Hikosu bit her lip and her eyes widened, pleading with him not to do anything. Draco looked indecisive for a moment, but Crabbe and Goyle glared at him. Draco sighed, not wanting to be seen as weak and his eyes darkened. He shook his head and she knew that he was going to do something bad.

"I'm sorry." He mouthed to her.

Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the four of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. Cael and Fayen decided to keep watch outside towards the forbidden forest – they were still on guard about Quirrell.

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.

They all drew up their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. Hikosu was much more excited than the others; she had always had a soft spot for animals and magical animals were no different.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

_**Ooh, it's so cute! **_Hikosu soundlessly squealed as she lurched towards the table to see the dragon better.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

_**Aww! **_She squealed soundlessly again.

"Isn't he _beautiful_?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face – he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains – it's a kid – he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Harry and Hikosu bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.

Malfoy had seen the dragon. Hikosu felt her heart drop, but Harry misinterpreted her feelings for sadness of the dragon, but she was feeling bad for what Draco was going to do. Although he had apologized, and she could see the pain in his eyes because of his actions, he was still responsible for them.

Something about the dark look in Draco's eyes during the next week confused Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hikosu's heart reached out to the suffering boy, but she still didn't know whether or not to believe him. He was a Slytherin and they were known for being crafty. Then again, her father was a Slytherin and he was a double agent. Draco could be telling the truth.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him, but the silver eyed girl was busy studying for Transfiguration. It was her weakest subject, but Harry had his two-way parchment with him so they could talk to each other.

"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "he really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear.

"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

Hagrid bit his lip.

"I – I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

"Charlie," he said.

"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No – Charlie – your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"

And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. Hikosu had literally been carried by Cael back to her rooms – she had fallen asleep while studying – and, though Harry was sad to see her go, he didn't want to see her having sleepless nights ever again. That summer, when she could barely sleep, was one of the scariest times he could ever remember.

The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. he had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid and Hikosu go on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was signing it a lullaby."

There was a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let hr in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

The three of them put their heads together to read the note.

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter – I'll be glad to take  
the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him  
here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with  
some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week.  
Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.  
Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight  
on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away  
while it's still dark.  
Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love,  
Charlie

They looked at one another.

"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the cloak's big enough to cover some of us and Norbert."

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert – and Draco.

There was a hitch in their plans, however. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey – would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

Harry, Hikosu, Hermione, and Fayen (Cael was with Severus – they seemed to have hit it off quite nicely – and he didn't object to the separation as long as Fayen stayed with Hikosu) rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed. Hikosu looked at him, sorry that her animal guides couldn't heal him like Cael healed her after her little mishap in Potions. Animal guides could only heal their Animalia counterparts.

"It's not just my hand," Ron whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. he kept threatening to tell her what really bit me – I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me – I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down. Hikosu was in a small amount of shock – if Draco did this then he went out of his way to pick on Ron. Draco confused the hell out of her, but what could she do?

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no – oh no – I've just remembered – Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

_**I'll see if Fayen won't help. She's more understanding of this than Cael is. I'll get Cael to watch Papa for me.**_ Hikosu said directly to Harry. Severus had been teaching her to control her projecting, but it had been hard. For now, she had only learned to block her thoughts from certain people, but she managed to relay this to Harry only. Fayen didn't hear her thought. He nodded with a small smile as they walked back to the common area.

"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we _have_ got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that. Plus, Hikosu got Fayen to cover for us. She'll distract whoever Malfoy decides to tell for a bit."

They found fang the boarhound sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to go tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage – nothin' I can't handle."

When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's alright, he only got my boot – jus' playin' – he's only a baby, after all."

The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry, Hermione walked back to the castle, Hikosu was riding Fayen's snow leopard form, back to the castle feeling like Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they had to rely on Fayen to get Peeves out of the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Fayen said that he should pull some pranks on Severus – even Hikosu had to laugh at the thoughts that rant through her mind at that.

Hagrid had Norbet packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy for the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry, Hermione, and Hikosu covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. It was a tight fit, but the cloak covered all of them if they squeezed. "Mummy will never forget you!"

How they managed to get the crate back up the castle, they never knew. Fayen helped them most of the way, but she stayed put on the staircase to keep a lookout. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Harry and Hikosu's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Draco by the ear. Hikosu's heart sank. So he was going to tell on them after all.

"Detention!" McGonagall shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you…"

"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming with Hikosu Snape! They've got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! I know for a fact that Hikosu is spending the night with Hermione Granger; she came to ask me if it was alright this morning. They're having a girl's night." The angry professor exclaimed, "How dare you tell such lies! Come on – I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

Fayen followed the two – she must have been the one to alert McGonagall about Draco. She did, after all, have a tendency to roam the hallways at night.

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to properly breathe again. Hermione danced in her spot.

"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!" Hikosu gave her a weak glare, not in the mood to gloat about Draco's detention.

"Don't," Harry advised her.

Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them while Hikosu was checking the crate one last time. they all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then the three students shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

At last, Norbert was gone.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon – what could spoil their happiness?

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."

They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.


	16. The Forbidden Forest

**Only two more chapters after this! Vote on the poll, too, guys. It'll tell me which HP story to work on next =P**

**Thanks to:**

**Child Of The Night Wolves13 - LOL I did the same thing! I won this stuffed dragon at the fair and named it Norbert XD**

**littledhampir13 - squee! I know, Draco needs more loving. I like the nicer Snape, too. He has emotions *gasp***

**MJ Potter Black Weasley - thanks!**

**dpbrianja - Hehe Thanks for the review! I never thought of my story as a nugget before lol**

**TheBeginingsEnd - lol mine was a stuffed animal. Now I have this little metal dragon so I named it Norbert II**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Forbidden Forest**

* * *

Things couldn't have been worse.

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling and Hikosu had tears welling in her glowing silver eyes. The more emotional she became, the brighter her eyes got.

Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. they were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? there was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

What was Severus going to do with Hikosu?

Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other three. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, and he said you had a drag…"

Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.

"I would have never believe it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. _Explain yourselves!_"

It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. Finally, Hikosu started to motion with her hands because she knew Harry was too scared to answer her. McGonagall gave her a piece of parchment to write on.

_**Harry and Hermione were helping me find my vial of Life Spring water I have to drink every morning. We were retracing our steps – we know its Saturday, but this was my spare vial that I was going to use for the sleepover. We didn't notice it was gone until today and I remember having to empty my bag in the Astronomy Tower when we had class Wednesday. **_

Was what she wrote. Professor McGonagall looked to her and sighed.

"I do not know if this is true, Miss Snape, but you should have notified a teacher as soon as you knew that it was missing. I'll still have to give you detention, but I still believe that you fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon. Miss Fayen already told me it wasn't true and that Mr. Malfoy was making it up, but where could he have gotten the idea from? I know about your obsession with dragons, Miss Snape."

Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words to go with the story. He was looking at Hikosu with a look of shock and confusion on his chubby face. Poor, blundering Neville – Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them about Draco.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Instead of telling a teacher, you decide to gallivant out on an adventure at night. Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All four of you will receive detentions – yes, you too, mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night even if it was for a good cause. It's very dangerous, and to teach you a lesion I must take fifty points from Gryffindor."

Hikosu snatched the parchment back from McGonagall.

_**Professor, no! It was my fault in the first place, Harry and Hermione only came with me because Fayen was out prowling the halls! Don't punish them for my mistake.**_ She pleaded on paper, underlining words that were important.

"No matter whose fault it was, Miss Snape. I still have to punish those who performed the deed in the first place."

_**But…how about giving me double detention instead of taking points from Gryffindor? Please? **_Hikosu pleaded once again, but McGonagall shook her head.

"My mind is set. I am sorry, Miss Snape. Fifty points…each. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

A hundred and fifty points lost. Hikosu didn't count since she technically didn't belong to a house, but she was more afraid of what her father would do to her. Would Severus hate her? That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?

At first Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him Hikosu Snape, and a couple of other stupid first years.

Severus was livid when he found out what happened. He was not furious with Hikosu, she eventually told him the truth, but there was nothing he could do since the dragon was gone. He at least wanted her to serve her detention under him, but Dumbledore denied it. The old man claimed that she would not learn her lesson if she served detention with him. She was grounded for two weekends after she served her two detentions and she was going to study with Cael only, but Severus had seen how torn up his daughter was feeling.

In the privacy of their quarters, the Potions Master swept his daughter in a hug before kneeling in front of her.

"It is good that you have noble intentions, Hikosu, but what you did was wrong. I'm glad that you understand this, but you must follow the rules for your own good." He said with intensity. Her silver eyes welled up again as both Cael and Fayen leaned down to give her a hug.

_**I promise, papa. **_She said as she nuzzled into his dark robes. He gave her a rare smile and ruffled her hair.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble all the time…but acquiring sneaking abilities wouldn't harm you." He said with a wink. Hikosu gave a soundless giggle before exiting their rooms to go to breakfast.

The silver eyed girl felt bad for her emerald eyed best friend. From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry, and Hikosu by association, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering.

"Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

"Cheers for the Slytherin Princess!" they had taken to calling Hikosu the 'Slytherin Princess' because she was the daughter of their head of house.

Only Ron stood by them.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."

"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.

"Well…no," Ron admitted.

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

"_Resign_?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."

Hermione, Neville, and Hikosu were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known – Hikosu because she either had Fayen or Cael by her side – but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying they were doing kept his mind off his misery. He, Ron, Hermione, and Hikosu kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions – Hikosu had an advantage there – learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions…

Then, about a week before exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.

"No…no…not again, please…"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer.

"You will cease your disgusting behavior towards my daughter at once! I've seen the way you look at her – like she's some prize to be won. I won't stand for it any longer!" came Severus' angered voice.

"All right…all right…" he heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. He supposed that Severus had exited through the other door.

Harry went back to the library, where Hermione as testing Ron Astronomy. Apparently Hikosu already went back to the dungeons. Harry told them what he'd heard.

"Ew, he's still obsessed with Hikosu? That's just sick!" Ron commented.

"But Snape seemed both angry and stressed. What if Quirrell's boss figured out how to get past the Potions defense?" Harry asked quite angrily.

Ron shrugged, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.

"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog, but Snape's tricky. I don't think whoever it is would get past Snape's Potions that easily." The red headed boy answered. The light of adventure was kindling in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." She said, "We can't go to Snape or he'll go ballistic!" she continued eying Harry and Ron with disapproval clearly evident in her gaze.

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "If we go to Snape, he knows that Quirrell's been spying on Hikosu. We can get him sacked for that!" the emerald eyed boy exclaimed.

"And we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." Harry continued as an afterthought. Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around…"

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, Hikosu, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same, except Hikosu had a little footnote on hers.

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.

Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor M. McGonagall.

P.S. Hikosu, you are not allowed to bring either of your animal guides.

So it looked like Hikosu would have to brave the elements on her own that night.

"We can't go with you?" Fayen asked, looking at her with a worried expression. Cael growled at the note – ever since Hikosu figured out she was a witch, he had never parted from her for long or for something this important. It was his job to protect her and protect her he shall.

"We can't do anything about it, Fayen. We must follow the rules, but that doesn't mean we can't bend them somehow." The wolf animal guide growled.

Harry had forgotten that they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got. Hikosu spared a glance up towards her father, but she saw that he was furious. He was glaring at McGonagall so he must have heard that she couldn't take any animal guides with her.

At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there – and so was Draco. Harry had also forgotten that Draco had gotten a detention, too. Harry started when Hikosu went to stand next to Draco – she gave the blond boy a small glare and he had the right idea when he flushed under her gaze.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes…hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me…it's just a pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed. Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. Hikosu walked by herself, steeling little glances at Draco. He was so confusing! First he apologizes, and then he tried to get them into trouble. Of course, he said he would try to get them into trouble…but the silver eyed girl had no idea that he would do something of this magnitude.

The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Harry and Hikosu's hearts rose in their chests; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, maggots – it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a little moan, Hikosu gasped soundlessly, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night – there's all sorts of things in there – werewolves, I heard." And Hikosu once again saw the frightened boy that he was when they met together in the old Charms classroom. This was the real Draco Malfoy.

Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe while Hikosu did the same to Draco's robe. Hermione was on Harry's other side. The emerald eyed boy couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when he saw Hikosu clinging to Draco.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione, Hikosu?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Draco now turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice. Hikosu was sad, but there was no way for her to communicate with Draco since she didn't have a piece of paper with her. She was too tired and anxious to try communicating with him like she did with Harry, her father, Cael, and Fayen. The silver eyed girl tugged on Draco's sleeve, biting her lip. She tried to tell him that she didn't want to go in alone despite the fact that Harry was going to be there – the emerald eyed boy looked like his hands were full with Hermione and Neville.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew Hikosu and I were doing this, he'd…" he stopped abruptly for two reasons. One was the fact that he included Hikosu in his sentence – his father did think highly of the Animalia's power, after all – and the second was the fact that Hagrid cut him off.

"…tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Draco didn't move. He didn't think he had the heart to send Hikosu into the forest without something to hold onto. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. we might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Draco, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang…and probably Hikosu 'cause she's an Animalia 'n the animals generally don' hurt Animalia." Said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

Hikosu couldn't help but mourn for the unicorn. She had an odd affection for magical creatures and general and just the thought of the injured unicorn wanted to make her cry. In fact, one smooth crystalline tear fell down her face at the sight of the blood. It went unnoticed except for both Harry, who felt her sadness, and Draco, who was still standing right beside her.

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. If he wouldn't be able to protect the silver eyed girl, surely the dog would be able to.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Hikosu, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. I'm big 'nough for two people, I rekon. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now – that's it – an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh – so, be careful – let's go."

The forest was black and silent and for once Hikosu could feel the worry emitting from Harry. He was worried for her, but he must have been worried a lot for her to be able to feel it. She was still inexperienced in that aspect of her magical life. A little way into the forest they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Draco, Hikosu, Neville, and Fang took the right. Hikosu held tightly onto Draco's arm, but the blond boy didn't sneer once at Harry to gloat over the fact.

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on tehf allen leaves.

Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.

"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "it's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."

They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path and Harry couldn't help but wonder how Hikosu was doing without her animal guides. All at once another pang of jealousy tore through his being. He wished that it was his arm that Hikosu had been holding onto.

"You alright, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter – GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"

Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouln' be."

"A werewolf?" Harry suggested, heart immediately jumping in his throat when he thought about Hikosu alone in the forest with just Draco and Fang for protection.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound.

Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself – I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came – was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped and the emerald eyed boy wished Hikosu were there. She would have loved to see a centaur in person.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"

He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't bee too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm…"

"A bit," said Hermione timidly.

"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt – you seen anythin'?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it had been for ages past, so it is now. The Animalia more so than ever."

Harry's heart jumped at the sentence.

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but iw as meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.

"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured – would yeh know anythin' about it?"

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.

"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs…they know things…jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before."

They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. they had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.

"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted as Harry's stomach felt like it was going to explode. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville…it's our fault he's here in the first place…and if something happened to Hikosu…I really don't know what I'll do. We've been together since we were babies." Harry admitted to Hermione with a worried and scared look. "We've had each others' back when we had to deal with the family."

The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Draco, Neville, Hikosu, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Draco, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks. Hikosu hurried over to Harry and threw her arms around his neck. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist and the two of them hung onto each other like their lives depended on it.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups – Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang, Hikosu, an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Draco, Hikosu, and Fang. Hikosu was now holding tightly onto Harry's hand, but she was too stressed, frightened, and worried to speak to Harry at the moment. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splaces on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

_**Merlin's beard…**_ Hikosu managed to say, almost in pain because of the sight before her. She remembered Cael telling her a while ago that the Animalia were much more in tune to the Earth and all of her creatures…so the scene before her was almost like a strike to her very soul.

"Look…" Harry murmured, holding out his unoccupied arm to stop Draco. Something bright was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. All of a sudden Hikosu started to cry, small clear tears trailing down her cheeks. Harry had never seen her so sad before, but he had never seen anything like a dead unicorn, either. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spead pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Draco, Hikosu, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

Draco let out a terrible scream and bolted – so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry and Hikosu – unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry – he couldn't move for fear.

Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backward. His hand left Hikosu's hand and for a moment he though he heard her scream, but that was impossible. She was mute…or had he heard the scream inside his head? He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure…that was holding Hikosu by her forearm. The silver eyed girl was screaming soundlessly, trying to claw the pale bony hand that was holding onto hers.

The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone…and so had Hikosu. His heart felt like it was going to break and his eyes filled with tears of anger. Why had he not done something? A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.

"No! You saw that…that _thing_ take Hikosu! She's _gone_ and he's going to kill her or something!"

The centaur didn't answer for a long time.

"No…the power of the Animalia is more valuable when the bearer is alive. He will not kill her before she reaches her maturity." It was then that Harry looked at the centaur's face for the first time. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead. He also eyed the tears that were now streaking down Harry's face.

Harry felt torn and empty. His best friend was gone and he hadn't done a thing to stop it…but what could he have done? If it was some sort of monster, he had not learned about it. He couldn't stop it…but could he have done something else to protect Hikosu from it? Cael and Fayen should have been allowed to come. They would have been able to protect her from that monster!

"You are the potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time – especially for you. I am sorry about the female Animalia, but can you ride? It will be quicker this way."

"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself onto his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. At this point the emerald eyed boy was going into shock.

There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better. His friend was already captured."

"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It was not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest and it has already captured another of the innocents! An Animalia who has not reached her maturity! I will be against it with humans alongside me if I must!"

And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. All he knew that the emptiness inside him was growing stronger by the moment.

"Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing that took Hikosu away?"

Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even If you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.

"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud, desperately trying to think of someone who would want to kidnap Hikosu, "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"

"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else – something that will bring you back to full strength and power – something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's Stone! Of course – the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who…"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's already wounded heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid told him and Hikosu on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

"Do you mean," Harry croaked in a startling realization, "that was…the one who has Hikosu…is _Vol…"_

"Harry! Harry, are you all right?"

Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there…" he didn't know how to tell them that Hikosu was gone.

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now. I am sorry about your companion."

Harry slid off his back.

"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him, tears falling down his cheeks once again.

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to recount his tale for the third time that night. He had to explain it to Hagrid, then to Dumbledore, the animal guides, and Severus – the latter he had never seen so vulnerable and so furious at the same time – and now he was explaining it in detail to Ron. The two didn't say anything and shot him sympathetic glances when he paused every so often to choke back a sob.

Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up back and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.

"Quirrell wants the stone for Voldemort…and Voldemort's waiting in the forest. He has Hikosu, but we don't know what for…"

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harry wasn't listening.

"I will get her back. No matter what it takes, I'll die before Voldemort uses her for _anything_."

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you and he'll get Hikosu back. Dumbledore's smart and so is Snape. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before they stopped talking and planning. Harry was determined to get Hikosu back. He had promised himself that nothing would happen to her while he was there and he was going to see that promise through.

When harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:

_Just in case._


	17. Through the Trapdoor

**Woo, second to last chapter!**

**Thanks to:**

**MJ Potter Black Weasley - Yeah, the two of them won't start to be a couple till the 3rd book, unfortunately. The second book has Harry starting to realize his feelings, and then the third book is Hikosu's turn =)**

**AquamarineCherryblossom - Thanks! I'm glad you like Hikosu. XD**

**Vote on my poll for the next Harry Potter story!**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Through the Trapdoor**

* * *

Everything was dark and Hikosu was scared and lonely. Sure, she had her wand in her pocket, but she was a First Year. What kind of spells did she know that would help her in a situation where she was literally a prisoner? She hadn't been drinking the Life Spring water so she hadn't slept for a long, long time. She was so weak she was shaking.

After she had been captured in the Forbidden Forest, she was stunned and kept in a small dark and damp place. She had no idea where she was and she couldn't contact Harry for some reason. It was like something was blocking her ability to contact him. Never had Hikosu felt so empty inside before.

The girl had panicked when she first woke up because she couldn't contact either Cael or Fayen, but the tears had long since dried up. Something fed her once a day, muttering something about 'keeping the Animalia healthy.' She mostly curled up in the corner of wherever she was.

She had no idea how long she had been there, but Hikosu was still lonely and scared. She was losing hope that she would ever be rescued, but most of all…she wanted her father and she wanted Harry.

Suddenly, her prison was flooded with light and she saw the same horrifying figure that had captured her in the Forbidden Forest. This time, instead of being drenched in unicorn blood, he was relatively clean. He was still swathed in those dark robes – there were enough of the robes that she couldn't tell who it was, but she scooted away from him all the same.

The figure stalked, or more like glided, forward, ripping her up by her arm.

"Now, girl," the figure hissed in an indistinguishable tone, "get up. We have a Stone to retrieve."

* * *

****In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Or a half dead Hikosu. Or a Severus holding a head Hikosu, wand out and cursing him to oblivion. Or Dumbledore, telling the students that she had died and they couldn't retrieve her body. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

Harry had never felt as empty as he had been for…well, he couldn't really say how long it had been. Everything seemed like a blur. Cael had been searching the forest for her every single night since she had been taken and Fayen stayed faithfully by Severus' side. She divided her time between Harry and Severus, but Harry could tell that she was getting more depressed by the day.

"I failed her." She quietly confided in him one day. "I failed my Mistress and now anything could be happening to her." Even when Harry tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, the female animal guide just shrugged and plopped down at his feet after phasing into her snow leopard form.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had bee bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox – points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers.

Severus…wasn't acting like Severus. Harry had expecting him to be two or three times as worse as he normally was, but all he did was stand behind them while they crafted a Forgetfulness potion. He had eyes that were rimmed in red. Harry suspected that he had been crying while he was in private. He couldn't understand per say, but he could imagine what it would be like to reunite with someone special after eleven years and then have them painfully ripped away. Although he wasn't reunited with them, he knew how it felt to have them ripped away.

Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead and the empty feeling in his chest, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of the exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by several nightmares that all centered around Hikosu. It always has a figure dripping blood in it and a motionless Hikosu.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry and the kidnapped girl had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads and empty chests, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. Hermione was very guilty about the kidnapping, however, and often cried herself to sleep. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to worry about what was happening to the missing girl.

Their last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a while wonderful week until their exam results came out. Harry wondered what would happen to Hikosu when she was rescued – would she have to take the exams without studying for them? when the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said a sullen Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. Harry's mind couldn't help but wander to the missing silver eyed girl. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she hurt? Harry had asked Dumbledore to let him help, but the older wizard just shook his head. He had responded with the fact that it was not Harry's responsibility to keep track of the students, but that he and Severus would take care of it.

The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead when he froze, turning to give Ron the worst glare he could muster.

"Cheerful? You want me to be _cheerful?_" he gasped in shock, "My best friend was kidnapped by bloody _Voldemort_ and you want me to be _CHEERFUL?" _he growled angrily. "I wish I knew what this means! My scar keeps hurting – it's happened before, but never as often as this…and it feels like there's an empty hole in my chest."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…and I think the thing with my chest is because…well…I miss Hikosu." He said with a faint blush.

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. He did, of course, feel a little sad because one of his friends was missing, but he was just a laid back kind of guy.

"Harry, relax. Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof that Quirrell's boss really is You-Know-Who. I mean, who would want to order around a complete dunderhead? And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something horrible happening within the castle. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with Hikosu. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters – Hikosu had…she had the two-way parchment. He had tried to write on it several times, but discovered that she had left it in her rooms. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy…never…but –

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. He had a hunch, and if it was right he very well could be on his way to rescuing his best friend.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time for a drink?" Hagrid had been so very depressed since Hikosu was kidnapped. He blamed himself – if he had been faster, stronger, smarter…then there was a good chance that the silver eyed girl wouldn't have been taken. He had taken to coddling Harry as much as he could to make up for it.

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with you look like?

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head – that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas.

"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I looked after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too wel, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure if I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he – did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well – yeah – how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep…"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey – where're yeh goin'?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Voldemort or Quirrell's boss under that cloak – it must have been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to…" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books. Fayen was following her with another large stack. Her tail was low and her ears were pinned back in shame.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

Harry swallowed – now what?

"It's sort of a secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. Fayen looked at the three with a curious expression, her ears picking up slightly.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time…"

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor – it's about Hikosu and the Philosopher's Stone…"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. Fayen stumbled as well, but she was more than excited to hear whatever it was about her charge.

"How do you know…?" McGonagall spluttered.

"Professor, I think – I know – that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion, but an eye of sadness as well. She had grown fond of the silver eyed girl's determination.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor…"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and try to enjoy the sunshine." She gave Harry a sympathetic look. "And Potter, Dumbledore is trying as hard as he can to find your friend."

But they didn't go outside. After Fayen dropped the books off, she appeared right in front of Harry.

"I'll help." Was all she said.

"It's tonight," said Harry once he was sure that Professor McGonagall wasn't going to come back. "Quirrell's boss is going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, but I bet he's the same person who had Hikosu. I bet he needs her magic – the magic of an Animalia – to help him get what he wants. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we…"

Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.

Severus was standing there.

"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.

They stared at him.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said without a smile. He looked at them for a few seconds before an odd sort of half smile appeared on his face. "But rest assured, Potter, I believe you." He said. "You want to be more careful," he said in a louder voice, "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harry flushed at Severus' loud tone. They turned to go outside, but he called them back.

"Be warned, Potter…any more nighttime wanderings and I can't stop you from being expelled. Good day to you."

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.

"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us had to keep an eye on Snape to make sure he won't do something rash. If Quirrell's boss does have Hikosu, we don't want Snape hurt, do we?"

The other three shook their heads.

"And we better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron after they sent Hermione to watch Severus. But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.

"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!" she was glaring at the two students, but Fayen stepped in.

"They're just trying to reassure each other, Professor." But she didn't help any. Harry and Ron were forced back to the common room with Fayen. Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.

The other three stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the stone first. That way I can save Hikosu by trading the 'stone', but the stone'll be fake."

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Quirrell gets hold of the stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well at least I tried something! I just can't let Hikosu have horrible things happen to her! He'll drain her magic, rape her, kill her – he'll do nightmarish things to her if he hasn't already! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"

He glared at them.

"I'm in." Fayen said once again, crouching down low and baring her fangs. "Cael might be combing the forest, but I'm ready. I'll tear that Quirrell and his boss to pieces."

"Your right, Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.

"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."

"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.

"All…three of us?

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"

"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…"

"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."

"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're throwing me out after that."

After dinner the four of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. There were the few rare people who offered their condolences for Hikosu's disappearance, but it didn't happen often. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all of her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy – he didn't feel much like singing.

He ran back down to the common room.

"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along in its own…"

"I'll take care of him." Fayen snarled before she phased into her snow leopard form.

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.

Neville stared at their guilty faces.

"You're going out again." He said.

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"'

Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Quirrell might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out, even to help Hikosu." Said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important. She is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll…I'll fight you!"

"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot…"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do something," he said desperately.

Hermione stepped forward.

"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."

She raised her wand.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _she cried, pointing it at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Nevillle, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. Fayen would sneak forward and then beckon the invisible kids forward with a twitch of her tail.

At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. Suddenly, Fayen let out a ferocious hiss, startling the smaller cat.

They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

Suddenly Fayen phased back to her human form. "Hello, Peeves." She purred and something incredible happened. He blushed.

"Well hello, missie kittie kattie. What can Peevsie do you the prettie beastie?" and Fayen smirked coyly.

"Professor McGonagall made me mad earlier today. Can you go play a prank on her?" and Peeves grinned back.

"That I can do, prettie beastie!" and he was off like a shot.

"Brilliant, Fayen!" whispered Ron before she phased back into her snow leopard form.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor – and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Quirrell's already got past Fluffy."

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all four of them what was facing them, but Harry's empty feeling started to tug him forward. Hikosu was down there, he could feel it.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Ron and Fayen.

"We're coming," said Hermione.

Harry pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Quirrell must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry, "Well, here goes…"

He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew, it wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased – it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!"

"Move it!" Fayen growled and jumped over the dog's paw and pulled open the trapdoor after phasing to her humanoid form before swiftly jumped down the trapdoor. Ron followed behind her.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing…just black…there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." Ron replied.

"If you jump, I'll catch you." Fayen's voice echoed through the area she was in. Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention, pointing to himself to let Ron know that he was going next.

"Okay, give the flute to Hermione." He called back. Harry did so and lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Hermione and said, "If anything happens to us, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?" Hermione nodded sadly.

And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell…and then he landed with a FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed in Fayen's arms. The snow leopard animal guide set him down and he felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt like he was standing on some sort of plant. The hole in his chest felt a little better – Hikosu was closer than ever.

"Its okay!" he called up to Hermione, "Come on!"

She landed in Fayen's arms next to Harry. "What is this stuff?" Ron asked poking the plant.

"We must be miles under the school." Hermione said.

"Lucky this plant thing was here." Fayen had stiffened and smelled the air.

"Something doesn't smell right." She scooped up Hermione, who was the closest, and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment Hermione landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around their ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Fayen had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her, although she shredded the vine that dared yank her tail, and now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them. The more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is – it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help." Snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare…what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp…"

"So light a fire!" Fayen shouted.

"Yes, of course, but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Severus at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't loose his head in a crisis – 'there's no wood,' _honestly_."

"This way," said Fayen, sniffing as she went down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon – Norbert had been bad enough…and that was when his heart gave a painful lurch. Hikosu wanted a dragon…

"Can you hear something?" Ron asked Fayen. She nodded, breaking Harry out of his thoughts.

"Sounds like wings or something like that." She replied

"There's light ahead – I can see something moving." Harry commented.

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. it was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once…well, there's no other choice…I'll run."

"No." Fayen said, "I run faster. I'll go." She said and took a deep breath. Her ears and tail were twitching before she dashed forward. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked.

The other three followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.

"Now what?" said Ron.

These birds…they can't be here for just decoration," said Hermione.

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering…glittering?

"They're not birds!" Fayen said suddenly, eyes widening. "They're keys!"

"So does that mean…?" Harry questioned, looking back and forth between the keys and the keyhole.

"Yes – look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!" Hermione protested.

Ron examined the lock on the door.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one…probably silver, like the handle."

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. Fayen stayed on the ground, not comfortable in the air.

Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one – there – no, there – with bright blue wings – the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above – Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down – and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. Fayen smiled, pleased.

They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. he rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we – er- have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.

"This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces…"

Harry and Hermione stayed quiet – Fayen was examining the pieces – and they watched Ron think. Finally he said, "Now don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess…"

"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle. Fayen…you'll be queen."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, a castle, and the queen turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Fayen took.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever they sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost? They would never be able to rescue Hikosu if they lost.

"Harry – move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think, let me think…"

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes…" said Ron softly, "it's the only way…I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted while Fayen hissed in rage.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me – that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But –"

"Do you want to rescue Hikosu or not?"

"Ron –"

"Look, if you don't hurry up she'll be hurt…or worse!"

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go…now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Hermione screamed but stayed on her square – the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway. They had seen Fayen nod towards them as she raced towards the fallen boy.

"What if he's…?"

"He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself, "Fayen's with him. What do you recon's next?"

"We've been through everything except for Snape's and Quirrell's…"

They had reached another door.

"All right?" Harry whispered.

"Go on."

As he pushed open the door a disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. They hurried across and pulled open the next door, wanting to hurry. He could literally _feel_ Hikosu as he came closer to her. In the next room, there was a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"What do we have to do?"

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottle. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,  
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,  
One among us seven will let you move ahead,  
Another will transport the drinker back instead,  
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,  
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.  
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,  
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:  
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide  
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;  
Second, different are those who stand at either end,  
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;  
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,  
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;  
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right  
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic – its logic – a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

But so will we, won't we?"

"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which to drink?"

"Give me a minute."

Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire – toward the Stone."

Harry looked at the tiny bottle.

"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."

They looked at each other.

"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed at the rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy – go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Quirrell off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

"But what if you-know-who is with him?"

"I don't care. I've got to save Hikosu."

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.

After a brief moment of urging the bushy haired female back, Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire – this was after she drank the potion. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.

"Here I come," he said and he drained the bottle in one gulp.


	18. The Man with Two Faces

**Last chapter! Vote on the poll, please.**

**Thanks to:**

**MJ Potter Black Weasley - Just for you, I got it done quickly!**

**Child of the Night Wolves13 - I actually changed a lot in this chapter...so Hikosu actually has a purpose for the story. =)**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Man with two Faces**

* * *

What Harry saw made his blood boil. It was, indeed, Quirrell standing in front of the mirror, but he didn't have anyone with her. What really made his heart quake in rage was Hikosu. Her eyes were bloodshot just like the day they received their letters – when her magical buildup started to affect her body because she hadn't been drinking the Life Spring water, and she was leaning up against the mirror.

Her gorgeous silvery gaze was directed at the man underneath the hood, he had thrown the cloak and hood away to the other side of the room, and she was glaring at the man with the most hateful glare he had ever seen on her. His fury increased when he saw that her robes looked ruffled and there was a giant bruise on one cheek.

"You." Harry hissed as he stalked towards Quirrell. He would have punched him in the face if he could reach so, instead, he settled for kicking him in the shin. He would have cursed him if Quirrell wasn't the Defense against the Dark Arts professor. Hikosu gasped, grinning widely as she got up and teetered towards the emerald eyed boy. The adult wasn't fast enough and she managed to duck under his arm – she can and would do these things even though she was weak.

_**Harry…**_ she whispered with all of her might. She managed to get through whatever was blocking them.

"Hikosu." He whispered back as they hugged like their lives depended on them.

"No matter," Quirrell said without his usual stutter, "Once I kill you, Potter, I can take the girl." He sneered.

"Where's your boss, Quirrell?" Harry demanded, looking around.

"My boss? You think I have a boss?" the creepy man questioned, eyes boring down into Harry's emerald ones.

"Of course. Everyone already agreed that you were too stupid to do anything on your own." Harry came back with some newfound confidence. She felt Hikosu giggle soundlessly and he stroked her cheek. He wondered where that bruise came from.

_**I bit his hand so he tried to curse me. It didn't work for some reason, so I got this bruise. **_Her voice was like a faint whisper in the back of his mind, but at least he could hear her.

Quirrell glared down at the young Gryffindor, snapping his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. Quirrell ripped Hikosu away from him, slipping an arm around her waist and retracting her wand from inside her robes, leering at her all the while. He threw her wand across the room and pulled her flush against his body.

"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?" Harry gasped as he tried to free himself from the ropes.

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls – you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me – I suppose I let myself go when I was reveling in _this _one's power – went straight to the third floor to head me off – and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly." Quirrell scoffed, "Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Quirrell conjured a chain and wrapped it around Hikosu's wrist, extending it about two inches and then wrapping it around his wrist as well. After he turned to the mirror, Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame, and dragging Hikosu with him wherever he went. Harry could feel her want to be next to him and in his arms plus the disgust she felt towards Quirrell.

"Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…and I'll have to send Snape some memento of the girl's."

All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell taling and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.

"I saw you and Snape in the forest…" he blurted out, catching Hikosu's attention. He could feel her curiosity.

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror, and yanking Hikosu with him, to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me – as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

"I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?" he hissed in anger and frustration. Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror and doing anything else to his best friend.

"But Snape seemed to hate Gryffindors."

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell causally, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead in particular. You're Hikosu's best friend and he never wanted to cause his daughter pain."

"I heard him threatening you - you were sobbing even!"

For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions…he is a great wizard and I am weak…and I am a man with urges, after all."

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped. Hikosu's mouth was hanging open – they both knew that he was a pervert already.

"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…"

Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley – how could he have been so stupid? He'd _seen_ Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. Hikosu was there as well, which meant she had been in danger since day one.

Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand…is the Stone _inside_ the mirror? Should I break it?"

Harry's mind was racing. He looked towards Hikosu and she gave him a sad, encouraging smile.

_**Don't let him get the Stone…**_ she whispered faintly, _**I'm okay. I'll be okay…just don't let him get the Stone… **_

A tear fell from her silvery eyes.

It was the hardest decision he had ever made.

_What I want more than anything else in the world at this moment, because Hikosu wants me to want it, _he thought, _is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it – which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?_

He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. he was still talking to himself.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, master!"

And to Harry and Hikosu's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy…use the boy…"

Quirrell rounded on Harry despite the pulling and tugging Hikosu did. After slapping her harshly across the cheek, he stalked towards Harry once again.

"Yes…Potter…come here."

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry slowly got to his feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated, "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walked toward him.

_I must lie, _He thought desperately. _I must look and lie about what I see, that's all._

Quirrel moved close behind him and Hikosu latched onto Harry's arm despite the old man's growl. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again. At first he saw himself with Hikosu, arms around her and they were smiling. They looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, but he focused on Hikosu's request.

Now he saw his reflection as an eleven year old, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket – and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow – incredibly – he'd gotten the Stone.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

"I see myself with Hikosu. We're sixteen or seventeen. I've got my arms around her and she's smiling widely." At least it was the truth so he didn't have to worry about lying.

"Get out of the way," Quirrell said. As Harry moved aside, he squeezed Hikosu's hand. He felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. dare he make a run for it? No, not without Hikosu. Never without Hikosu.

_**Go…**_ came her weakening whisper _**Go now…run…**_

But he couldn't run. Not without her. A high voice spoke suddenly, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"He lies…he lies…"

"Potter come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to him…face-toface…"

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength…enough…for this…"

Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Hikosu gasped soundlessly in sheer terror while Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry and Hikosu had ever seen. It was chalk white with gleaming red eyes and slit for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter…Hikosu Snape…" it whispered.

Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.

"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks…you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward. No matter how hard Hikosu tried to stop Quirrell's advancement, nothing worked.

"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save our own life and this wench's while you join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…They died begging me for mercy…"

"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.

Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery….Yes, boy, your parents were brave….I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain." He didn't know that Harry's father had gone missing after the battle.

"NEVER!"

_**GO NOW! **_Hikosu screamed at him.

Harry sprang back toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed an order to Quirrell. Hikosu, feeling the intense need to protect Harry, felt some sort of strange magic flow through her. Although she was wandless, a power emitted from her frame. The mark of the Animalia, the one located on her throat, started to glow and a faint silvery outline encased her body. The chain keeping her attacked to Quirrell dissolved and she touched Quirrell's left hand.

The next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. He, instead, turned towards Hikosu – he was feeling the effect of her earthly magic. The pain in Harry's head lessened – he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers – they were blistering before his eyes. Hikosu grew more determined and focused the magic burning at her fingertips.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM! Ignore the girl and her power!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet after breaking away from Hikosu's grasp. She leapt after him, jumping on his back and placing her hands on his face. He screamed, scratching at her hands. Harry saw what she was doing, but didn't want to risk hurting her by running.

_**Run, Harry! Run, now! **_She screamed. The power was building in her body, encasing her throat, head, and heart with great pain. Suddenly, the power exploded, sending Harry's head back against the concrete floor – knocking him senseless – and literally dissolving Quirrell's body. The silver outlining around her body pulsed and the last thing he thought he heard was a soft, melodic voice saying his name.

"Harry…"

* * *

Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.

He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.

He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.

"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore. Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! And Hikosu!"

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone. He doesn't have little Hikosu, either." He said, nodding to the bed beside him. Harry looked over and there she was, but a thick roll of bandages was wrapped around her neck.

"She's…hurt?" he questioned, wondering about the bandages.

"Ahh, an unfortunate side effect from using her core magic too early, I'm afraid. Most Animalia can't access it until they've reached the beginning of their maturity – age thirteen."

"Then why…?"

"Because she had something she wanted to protect." Dumbledore said with a wink. Harry blushed – he was something she wanted to protect?

"But then…who has the stone?" he just noticed that both Cael and Fayen were curled around Hikosu's bed in their animal forms. Both were fast asleep. He also noticed that at the end of their beds were two tables piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. Severus was here just a while ago – I believe he has something to say to you when he returns."

"How long have we been in here?"

"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved that you have come round, they have been extremely worried."

"But…if I'm awake, why isn't Hikosu awake?"

"Ahh, the core magic of an Animalia works in mysterious ways. Perhaps she will find her totem animal faster than I had imagined." And he said no more on the matter. Mere minutes after he said this, Hikosu's eyes began to flutter open.

"Hikosu?" Harry gasped. She smiled and turned to him.

"Harry…" she rasped out, mouth dropping open as she realized she said the word out loud instead of inside his head.

"How?" the emerald eyed boy gasped.

"Like I said, she accessed her core power much earlier than normal. Perhaps it triggered the deactivation of her mark…or perhaps this is just temporary. Madame Pomfrey said to let her throat heal, and then we will move on from there." Dumbledore explained.

"Papa!" she rasped out again when she saw Severus. His eyes were wide and tears were forming in them as he rushed to his daughter's side.

"You can talk…" he gasped out, reaching out a trembling hand to caress his daughter's face.

"Yup…for however long it lasts…" she rasped again, coughing a bit as her throat became irritated.

"Well, let's not strain your voice, okay?" he said, worried for her. He brought her into a hug as he turned to Harry.

"Potter…Harry…I must – ah – thank you for rescuing my daughter. You may see her whenever you wish." He said with a grateful smile.

After arranging to have special exams for Hikosu over the summer, Harry and the silver eyed girl – plus her two animal guides – made their way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. They had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving them one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.

When Harry and Hikosu walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. They slipped into seats between Ron and Hermione – Cael and Fayen on the other side – and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at them.

Fortunately, Dumbledore and Severus arrived moments later. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred in twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy waving his hand, but his eyes were curiously bloodshot.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faced a little.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…

"First – to Mr. Ronald Weasley…"

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

"…for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second – to Miss Hermione Granger…for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves – they were up a hundred points.

"Third – to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

The din was deafening. Those who could add up with yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points – exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup – if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared underneath a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering with Hikosu, felt so happy.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration." And with that he clapped his hands and everything changed to the red and gold of Gryffindor.

When they got back to platform nine and three quarters, Harry and Hikosu actually felt happy to be going back. They had each other, they were alive…and the Dursleys didn't know they couldn't do magic outside of school.

"You know…I wonder how Petunia is going to react to a snow leopard in her front yard?" Hikosu rasped out, voice still weak. It faded in and out while her mark was healing. It was still unsure whether or not she would go back to being mute when it healed.

Fayen smirked and Cael chuckled.

"Well, it's a good thing we change size."


	19. Author's Note

I apologize to all of my readers and fans, but this is what I feel like I have to do. Either I'm going to let someone take over my stories, or I'm going to delete all of them with the intention on reposting some heavily edited (some not heavily edited) stories. I'm going to repost one at a time and I've decided on posting my Naruto story first. I will put up a new poll asking people to vote on the one they want me to work on after I finish the Naruto story.

The reason why I haven't posted in the last year or so is difficult to explain, but a rough summary would be that I was Saved by the Lord and I found a wonderful relationship with the man of my dreams. I've been working on some original stuff and I hope to have some stuff published in the future.

Thank you for being so understanding.


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